


Upon Dusk

by GoddessofAnubis



Series: Upon Series [3]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Eggs is a bit of a dick, Gen, Pedophilia, Talk of Suicide, also pedophiliac flashbacks, especially towards Mike, let's see what limb Jeremy loses this time shall we, like Afton being a child molester is talked about and brought up so, mentions of child abuse, the others don't appreciate someone coming in and getting in the way, violence against adults and children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 00:30:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 81,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8380672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofAnubis/pseuds/GoddessofAnubis
Summary: Circus Baby's Rental had been successful for years after hiring their newest technician. But he can't do this on his own anymore when the robots begin acting unusually hostile, and its time for him to call for backup. Sequel to Upon Nightfall.





	1. Pain and Torment Mechanized

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“ _Hello and welcome back for another night. Now that you've returned, please once again use the keypad to select this week's gift basket.”  
_

He sighed, not even really bothering to try. It's not like the damn thing worked. He'd been working here for years now, and the keypad always seemed to malfunction. He thought about fixing it, but it really wasn't anything he cared about. He was paying for these stupid gift baskets anyway. And honestly it seemed stuck on one, and he rather liked the odd butters that he got; they tasted pretty good with popcorn.  
  
“ _Thank you for choosing...”_

  
“Exotic butters I get it.” He sighed, adjusting his glasses.  


The elevator stopped and he quickly crawled through the taped off vent. His hands and knees were calloused from the many times he'd scurried through. He'd gotten too used to this, and when all’s said and done, it was likely very **very** illegal. Not that he was about to complain. He'd seen too many people go...and not in a fun way.  


“Ballora, you on stage?” He called as he pressed the light. He sighed when the stage was empty except for a few Minireena's that waved at him. “Ballora please.”  


He saw the small animatronics move quickly, spelling out words. If he hadn't been expecting it, he would've missed it. “She's...in need of repairs? Oh thanks guys. I'll get to her quick ok?”

One Minireena waved again before they all twirled off into the shadows. Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed and pressed the light to the right. “Foxy how about you-”  


Foxy was pressed against the window, grinning . He raised an eyebrow, wondering what the fox was doing but it whined and pouted at a lack of reaction. “Thought I'd get you this time.”  


“Maybe if you didn't try it every other day. Now how's everything looking? Need a checkup?”  


The pink and white robot shook its head. “I would like a new voice if you have a moment. Maybe something like Freddy's this time? Oh, though I do like Bonbon's but-”  


“If Ballora doesn't need too much attention I'll see what I can do. Let me go check on Baby real quick. Are you going to give me trouble when I crawl over there?” He asked, kicking Baby's vent door open.  


Foxy paused, thinking a moment. “I guess not today, if only because I really want a new voice...”  


“Oh, well, as long as my time is convenient for you.”  


He pushed himself through Baby's vent, ignoring the motion trigger that went off. He yawned as he dusted himself off, rubbing his eyes. “Baby are we doing good today?”

 

He pressed the light. Nothing happened. He paused, surprised a moment, and then scowled and heaved a sigh. “These worthless, cheap lights...”  


“ _It seems we have a malfunction. Please head into the breaker room and reset the power.”_ HandyUnit went off, making him groan.  


“Let me guess, Freddy is back there?”  


“ _Funtime Freddy is likely on his stage, resting. He won't bother you if you can keep quiet and not irritate him.”  
_

“Fuck you.” He mumbled to himself.

  


“ _Here at Circus Baby's Rental, we have very important rules about sexual harassment. If someone is-”  
_

“You're the one bothering me. Where's my raise huh?” He asked it and again, trying uselessly to shut it off.  


He got back into the vent, grumbling to himself about coming back here for nothing. At least going through Ballora's would be easy, since she was in the Parts and Service room, but he had to be careful of the Minireena's. While they were tiny and usually harmless, he still needed to be cautious. Everything in this place wanted him dead.  


He needed to remember that.  


Xxxxxxx

 

“Bonbon, I mean it, you're beginning to wear on my nerves.” He mumbled, glaring down at where the little hand puppet was running near his feet. “How do you even run? You don't have legs.”  


“It's not very nice to make fun of someone like that. If you aren't going to be nice, I'll turn Freddy on and tell him what a meanie you are.”  


He sighed. He really didn't want Freddy waking up. If that happened, then he'd need to make a break for it. There were strategies for them all, and he was an expert in handling the robots. But that didn't mean he wanted to. Especially since…  


“Eggs! Eggs, Freddy powered up! Morning Freddy!”  


He froze, brain screeching to a halt. He heard the groans and shifting of Freddy's shell, the clinking of the clean, smooth body rubbing against itself. Freddy's eyes opened, blue glowing in the dark room and they locked on to the human instantly. His jaw creaked into a grin as Eggs struggled not to panic.  


“I see you there!”  


He hesitated. Sometimes Freddy was...okay. Sometimes he was passive and liked to watch him fix the breakers. He'd sit there, talking with Bonbon and ignoring the human; other times he'd ask about Eggs' life and offering to play some games that he never accepted. Was this one of those times?  


“That must be the birthday boy!”  


Oh shit.  


His fingers scrambled for his HandyUnit, hands shaking, and pressed a button on it. Bonbon's recorded voice played. It echoed into the room as he dove back to the breakers. He saw Freddy pause, looking around for the blue bunny and that gave him enough time to finish with the power. Bonbon hopped back onto the bear's hand with a giggle as Eggs pushed himself towards the door, all but throwing himself through it.  


His heart was thumping painfully against his chest as he collapsed to the floor in Ballora's room. He groaned; that hurt. His elbows were scrapped from the tile but he shrugged it off. He slowly picked himself up off the floor, hands still shaking.  


They were getting worse…  


He didn't want to admit it, but there was no denying it lately. The robots were getting more and more hostile. He gritted his teeth, needing a moment as he sat on the ground. After his first week, things had changed. That fifth night, he found two very dead humans and all the robots....well, scooped. Their remains were in the scooping room; how he managed to find the room on his own in the dark he still had no idea.  


Ever since...that next Monday, they were so different. Kind. They could talk to him, and in some cases, were desperate to play with him. He promised not to shock them if it meant they'd behave. They had almost begun a routine then. It was like dealing with co-workers in any other job he'd have, except these happened to be very smart AI. He didn't trust them, he certainly didn't _like_ them, but lately...they were reverting back to that first week.  


They were getting more and more aggressive every day.  


And soon, Eggs wouldn't be able to keep up.  


Xxxxxx  


He heard of Mike Schmidt from watching TV. He'd been between soaps, lamenting his empty popcorn bowl, when the first news story of Freddy Fazbear's came on. Of course he'd heard of it, since Circus Baby's was not only a competitor of theirs but also a sister brand. He'd looked up all the horrible things that had happened and decided not to keep up on the place. But seeing it on TV, he couldn't help but watch.  


It popped up a few times over the months since. Someone that used to work there broke in only to be stopped by the lone guard, and the place slowly boomed from then on. Its sudden popularity was odd, and people were wondering what awful thing would happen next. Eggs only paid attention out of a morbid curiosity. If this was the same brand, could it be that their robots were like his?  


It took almost a year of digging before he found anything. Being a technician made it easy to find files his bosses wouldn't want him to see; they'd definitely fire him if they knew. He found the many dead guards that had been covered up, the kids, and emails between certain CEOs about why the place was suddenly taking in money and why no one else had died. And it was because of Mike Schmidt.  


His idea of reaching him festered for a few weeks. Mike didn't technically work for Circus Baby's, and why would he even want to come here to help? If he even _could_ help. Mike had apparently reached some kind of treaty with his robots, and that left him alive. But there was something else going on here. He had a truce with the animatronics and that clearly wasn't doing him any good.  


Even so, as he hid from Ballora and those awful Minireenas, he knew he needed to do something. So he sent him a text, having found his number in the hidden files. It wasn't until he was making his way home, exhausted, that he even received a reply. He wasn't expecting one, really, but his hands were shaking as he looked at the message Mike sent him. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the sudden chill and felt a heavy weight in his stomach forming.  


“Oh god, of course he's a loser...” He mumbled.  


_'I don't know how you got my number, but if you're struggling against the animatronics then I'll do my best to help you out. My friend is the manager here, I'll see if he can have me transferred for a few weeks. It might take some time, and I'll try looking up your work place to get a better idea of what's going on.'_

_Stay safe until then. I'll be there as soon as I can be and I don't want you dying on me.'  
_

Stay safe? He'd been doing this for years now! What did this asshole know about his working conditions? He was a night guard, something that Fazbear's could apparently sweep under the rug and replace in an instant. But him? He wouldn't merely be killed. He wasn't going to quickly die and rot away in a dumpster. Baby had other plans for him…  


But even so, having someone else around might help. Part of him briefly wondered about having a human shield, making sure the robots got to Mike and not him, but shook it off. Even as cynical as he was, he couldn't do that to someone else. Sighing, Eggs knew he just needed to keep it up; he managed to survive this long, a few more weeks alone would be easy.  


At least, that's what he told himself as he gritted his teeth and shocked Foxy the next night. As it trembled under the flood of electric currents, looking like it was silently screaming, he forced himself to watch. A hand even went unconsciously to the window as he waited for Foxy to recover and reluctantly get back on stage. He sighed. It was going to be a long, rough night…  


Xxxx  


Three weeks he waited on hearing back from _anyone_. Mike, his boss, HandyUnit telling him about someone being on site with him...At this point, he'd take more suicides if only to see another person. Even a dead one made him feel less alone in this awful facility.  


He ran through the auditorium, using the light to blind Foxy as the fox rushed at him. It yelped and paused, blinking rapidly, and Eggs quickly ducked into the vent. He cursed as he felt it grab his foot, trying to yank him back, but kicked out. He was apparently stronger than he seemed in his induced panic state because Foxy gave a hiss and let him go, whimpering slightly as he crawled away.  


He tumbled out into the main area, heart racing . It took him a minute before he realized someone was talking to him.  


A person. He froze, glancing up wearily. His name tag read _'Mike'_ in a short chicken scratch, and he was looking pretty concerned about him. Forcing himself up, he lazily offered a hand, making Mike stare at him a moment. The guy was definitely older than him, maybe in his late twenty's or early thirties. He didn't have a hat, but had been given the typical white shirt, purple pants uniform Eggs himself wore, though it looked a bit big on him. He had a kind face, wide blue eyes and short hair; a typical everyday guy then.  


“Really hoping you're Schmidt because only an idiot would be going down an elevator and through a vent to break into here.”  


He slowly shook his head. “Yeah, I'm Mike. You're, uh...?”  


“Eggs.” He said immediately, ignoring the confused look. “Gotta admit, I'm surprised you actually came here.”  


“I promised I would.” Mike shrugged.  


Eggs had to fight the twitch in his eye. “ _Right_. Well, I guess I should give you the rundown, but you already missed some of my prep work.”  


He motioned to Ballora's window. Mike peered in almost immediately, jumping slightly when Eggs hit the light button. Ballora was twirling near the stage, her smaller robots propped up on it, and seemingly doing... _something_. Eggs didn't bother with them when they were together. Ballora was usually pretty passive unless the Minireena's wanted to start something.  


“That's Ballora. She only reacts to sound since she keeps her eyes closed...well, unless she's got you.” Eggs explained casually. “She only opens the face plates when she's sure she's got you. Only seen it once or twice.”  


“She moves around fine without seeing?” Mike asked curiously as he watched them. He paused when a Minireena noticed him and twirled faster, getting the others attention. “What are they doing?”  


Eggs moved closer as the smaller ones began spelling out something. Mike seemed lost, but the technician had been doing this for a long time. “They're...asking if you're one of the new repair guys. Wait...oh, they said to stop using the curtains to hang yourself because then they get blamed for it. I'll make a note of that for my boss.”  


Mike paused, staring at him. Eggs shrugged. “I come in to find a lot of them dead. Usually hanging but sometimes I find them stuffed in weird places. I have to write it in my notes so someone can come clean them up.”  


“You have already checked in on me.” A soothing, musical voice came in from the speaker. Ballora paused in her movements, face looking in their direction without seeing.  


“Sorry to bother you, Ballora. Mike's new.” Eggs explained.  


She dipped into a bow. “My children welcome you then, Michael.”  


“Thank you. They're very talented.” Mike replied back before Eggs could say anything; he was smiling as he watched the group. “You're all amazing to watch.”  


“We do as we are programmed. It would be best to remember that.”  


Eggs pulled the older man away and let the light shut off then. When he resisted slightly, he glared. “That's her cue to leave them alone. You've dealt with this crap before right?”  


Mike frowned at that, glancing at the black window. “I have...but this is very different. You're sequestered from the animatronics while I'm used to being stuck in a room waiting for them to come to me.”  


“Well, we definitely have to go to them. Now, this is Funtime Foxy.”  


Eggs hit the light on the right. He sighed when it revealed Foxy pressed against the glass again, looking excited, but Mike yelped and tripped over something. Eggs groaned. For some veteran of this crap, Mike was awfully jumpy.  


“Why can I never get to you Eggs?” The fox grumbled, their incident earlier completely forgotten. “Who's this?”  


“Mike's from a different location.” Eggs shrugged, watching as the man picked himself up. “Don't break anything Mike, I can't afford that.”  


Mike glared at him, dusting himself off. “I'm okay thanks for your concern.”  


He shrugged again. “You learn not to get attached.”  


“Wow, we get to play with two of you now?” Foxy paused, glancing around curiously. “You aren't being replaced are you Eggs? Baby would be _so_ cross if you left us now...”  


He paused, surprised. He saw Mike looked at him in confusion but he forced himself to shake it off. “Well then maybe Baby should keep you all from misbehaving.”  


“You say that like we do anything wrong...”  


“Nah, just what you're programmed to do.” Eggs echoed softly. He'd heard it too many times from the many years he'd been here. “It's fine, I'm not going anywhere.”  


Foxy nodded slowly, seemingly thinking. Mike jumped again when a small blue blur appeared on their shoulder. “Eggs isn't leaving?! You gave Minireena Four a heart attack! You should apologize before I make you!”  


“Bonbon you're not supposed to be on your own.” Eggs pointed out.  


“Whoa wait.” Mike cut in suddenly, not noticing the dark look he got from Foxy; the technician certainly did though. “Foxy, and a...Bonnie? I have different models of you guys where I work.”  


“Of course you do.” Foxy shook their head. “We're not exactly originals are we?”  


“I am certainly more adorable than your Bonnies though.” the hand puppet said haughtily. “I'm compact!”  


Mike laughed at that, causing Bonbon to preen. “Your other models would love you. Spring likes to pick on Bonblu a bit, and Bonnie usually has to keep them apart. You'd fit in perfectly.”  


“I would?” Bonbon paused, almost solemnly. “On my own?”  


“They'd likely step on you.” Eggs mumbled.  


Mike glared at him. “Why would you do that when I'm reaching them?” He hissed in a whisper.  


“Reaching them? Oh right, I forgot I'm dealing with a crying heart.” The black haired man sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Bonbon on her own drains her battery and shuts off. And then, in your restaurant, she'd likely get picked up, broken, or stolen. That's why she's a team with Funtime Freddy.”  


“They make a great team.” Foxy added.  


“It's why she gets the most fanart from the kids.”  


Bonbon giggled at that, perking up. “Of course I'm popular! Look at me.”  


Mike still looked upset but glanced at the small bunny. “Freddy? You guys have a Freddy as well?”  


“He's likely lumbering around. I had to update some of his programming earlier.” Eggs glanced around but didn't see him. “You guys know if Baby is going to be okay with me going back there?”  


Bonbon looked concerned at that as Foxy frowned. When the two didn't answer, he heaved a sigh and crossed his arms. “Shit. Bad day huh?”  


“You aren't going to shock her for it, are you?” Foxy asked hesitantly. “I don't think she's feeling well.”  


Mike stared at the fox as a look of horror dawned on his face and he glanced at second button below the light. Seems like he was piecing together their function. Eggs ignored him as best he could, but the man was beginning to tremble.  


“If she doesn't talk to me, there's nothing I can do about it. You guys have your programming and I got mine.”  


“Fair enough. Some of her stage lights are broken again.” Foxy put a hand on Bonbon and began walking off. “What should we do tonight Bonbon?”  


He turned the light off, letting them have their own time together. He looked at Mike, about to show him Baby's vent, but the man was seething as he stared at the blank glass. Raising an eyebrow, Eggs snapped his fingers, making the man jump.  


“You... **shock** them??”  


“It's my job. Sometimes they don't behave, so we have to...'motivate' them.” He rolled his eyes at that. “That's what the HandyUnit says anyway and that's who I have to listen to.”  


“You're torturing them and want help from them attacking you?!” Mike demanded hotly.  


Eggs paused, surprised before snorting. It made Mike glared at him harder. “I got a job to do, Mike. And like I told you before, they usually act fine. But lately...”  


He stopped, frowning to himself. The other man's glower faded slowly, looking confused and curious. But Eggs didn't have a proper explanation for him. He was the one that looked through their programming, what limited amounts he had access to, and he was the one here all night with them. But he didn't have an explanation for anything happening.  


“They've been acting up lately. Randomly, but it's been occurring more and more. They're appearing in the back all the time, needing me to fix them, and Baby...” He sighed. “She's like the leader of them all. If she feels up to it, you'll meet her in a second. But something's happening to them during the day. And I have no idea what.”

 

“They're rented out to parties right?” Mike asked.

 

He nodded. “Usually booked solid.”

 

The other man crossed his arms and began pacing slightly as he thought. Eggs raised an eyebrow. “Someone would notice while they're outside if something was wrong. The animatronics I work with all have a code, I guess, that they'd never hurt kids. I can only assume yours are the same.”

 

“Assuming is a dangerous thing.”

 

“Yeah...but if they were going after kids or adults on the surface then I think I would've heard about your place sooner.” Mike sighed, staring off to the side at the weird clock on the wall. “Something's happening here.”

Eggs frowned at that. Nothing happened here, except for the fixing up and scooping. Granted, from what he'd heard, the scooping wasn't exactly...pleasant. He'd wondered if they reacted like this because of what they went through to be 'fixed' but they kept targeting him. He wasn't the one that put them on the scooper and he certainly wasn't the one that decided who needed to go in there.

 

“Come on, we gotta check on Baby.” He finally said, kicking open the vent. “Careful though, I've never had someone in here with me so don't be riding my ass the whole time.”

 

He saw Mike roll his eyes as he got in. As he reached the motion sensor he realized he had nothing to worry about. Mike wasn't used to crawling around vents and he was rather slow. He had to get out and wait before Mike finally emerged, panting and his face red.

 

“Sorry, forgot you're an old man.”

 

“I'm only-! Forget it.” Mike dusted himself off as he got up, glancing around the area. “Uh, what's this?”

 

“Baby's area. Now hush up, I gotta see if she'll talk to me.”

 

Eggs hit the light, not surprised when only one light worked. He didn't see her in there, she often liked to hide away, but he decided not to hit the electrocution button right away. In the years he'd been here, he learned that she was...sensitive, if that even was the right word. And he was still learning to deal with her.

 

“Baby, I need you on stage just for a moment please.” He called, ignoring Mike watching him. “Once that's done you can go back.”

 

“Who is that with you?” She asked softly as they heard footsteps. “Surely you aren't leaving us now.”

 

Eggs snorted. “Nothing like that. Mike here is helping me. Think of him as my assistant. He wanted to meet you.”

 

Baby got on her stage, and Eggs was quick to step on Mike's foot when the man started to gape. The robot usually took people off guard, being around seven feet but looking like a small girl. Her green eyes were quick to look over the both of them through the glass.

 

“An assistant? How interesting...no one else has ever had company here.” She paused at that, giggling. “Well, none that lasted.”

 

“Mike promised me he won't hang himself in the curtains. Anyway, how you feeling today? Need a zap?” He asked casually; he was watching her reaction to Mike critically. All the robots were oddly...uninterested in the man.

 

Mike glared at him, being the bleeding heart he was, but Baby cocked her head and smiled in that creepy, supposed-to-be-charming way she did. “I believe no zap is needed. Though, I wonder about your friend...Even so, as long as you aren't leaving us alone down here I think everything is fine.”

 

“I still need a job so I'm still here. I'll make a note that you're fine so no scooping for you.” Eggs said.

 

Baby nodded, glancing at Mike then him again. She then walked away into the shadow of the room. Eggs turned the light off, knowing she preferred it, and grabbed his HandyUnit. He had to smack it a few times to get the keypad to work, but he managed to get his notes down before the thing began talking to him.

 

“ _It seems you've finished your duties for the day. Please head home, and we'll see you tomorrow!”_

 

“Guess we're done then.” Eggs said.

 

Mike frowned, still looking uneasily towards where Baby had disappeared. “I don't think she liked me all that much...”

 

“What ever makes you think that?” He asked sardonically. Mike glared at him again. “Course they don't like you. You aren't made of metal and cheap plastic. They don't like me either, they just know I can hurt them if they wanna be assholes. So they get back at me when I have to venture into their areas. Now let's get out of this shitty place and we can talk about what the hell I'm supposed to do.”

 

They crawled into the main area, pausing only when a lone Minireena appeared. It stared at them as they left through the front vent. Mike asked if they were supposed to put it back with Ballora but Eggs explained that he wasn't getting paid for any extra time he spent here and he certainly wasn't going out of his way. Reluctantly, Mike followed him.

 

“My apartment is pretty close.” Mike mused to himself. “Uh, you have a ride?”

 

Eggs tapped his foot, looking around. Being outside after spending so much time underground always left him feeling like he escaped. At least, until the next night. He shook his head, motioning to where the bus stop was down the road.

 

“Ride the bus. My place is pretty far.” He said.

 

“I can give you a ride if you want. Or....” Mike hesitated, pulling out his cellphone and checking the time.

 

The technician frowned at that. “You want me to meet your dad or something?”

 

He noticed that Mike stiffened slightly and made a mental note that dad jokes were off the table. “Like I said, my place is close by. You could crash there and we can discuss how to help you. I didn't get to see any of them acting hostile, but I certainly felt it.”

 

“No offense Mike, but I don't make it a habit of sleeping over at some guy's house that I just met. Even if he's akin to a kicked puppy.” Eggs shrugged, ignoring the way Mike bristled. “Let's sleep on it. If you still feel up to it, meet me here tomorrow. Earlier, so we can actually go through everything.”

 

“Why should I? So far all I've seen if you talking about electrocuting them and being an asshole!”

 

“That's because I **am** an asshole.” He rolled his eyes. He then sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Okay look. I asked you for help because I'm desperate not to die. I just happen to be cynical dick most of the time. But I know that eventually, they're going to catch me. And they aren't planning on just killing me.”

 

Mike stared at him for a good minute, thinking. Then, he just nodded and left, getting into his car and leaving. Eggs stood there a moment by himself. He honestly didn't expect Mike to come back tomorrow. He was an asshole, always had been, and he wasn't one that dealt with other humans very well. Hell, he took comfort in the dead bodies he'd find around the place because that meant it _wasn't him_. And he knew normal people didn't think that way...

 

Sighing, he began walking towards the bus stop. His fifth night here ran through his head. Looking at the scooping room through the glass, seeing the empty shells of the animatronics that tried to kill him, that had kidnapped him...hearing a voice behind him, cooing about going outside and being free again. Something had slithered over his foot and that's when he ran. Left the scooping room, left the facility, left the robots. He was shocked when his boss told him he wasn't fired.

 

Whatever was back there, hidden behind him....it wanted something from him. It sounded like Baby, but the dread in his stomach had told him it wasn't her. It did something, and if it caught him through the others...he didn't think it was as simple as dying.

 

Or maybe, he mused as he settled into his small, shitty apartment and began making popcorn for his shows to watch, maybe it was because he was such a dick that he deserved it. He sighed. He sat down on his couch and turned on the TV, waiting for the microwave to go off. If whatever that thing was got him and...did whatever, maybe it was meant to happen. Maybe he was meant to die.

 

But he sure as hell wasn't going to let it take him without a fight.

 


	2. I was never all that kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: death, mentions of suicide, violence
> 
> Thank you everyone for your kind words! I’m so glad so many of you like this little fic of mine!

 

  “Circus Baby's? What kind of fucked up name is that??”

  Mike paused, sighing as he slammed the fridge shut. “Hi Jeremy.”

  The blond engineer gave a half assed wave, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He let Mike continue looking for something to eat, limping towards the small table they set up and opening a window before he lit a cigarette. Mike wanted to snap at him but swallowed it down when he found a pizza box shoved into the back of a cupboard.

  “You hiding the pizza from me now?”

  “I'm beginning to worry you have a problem. Or that you're too nice to tell Chica to stop.” He answered lazily. One of his hands was rubbing at the white patch over his eye as he stared at nothing. “How was it?”

  Mike paused, frowning. “This kid is a worse asshole than you are.”

  Jeremy nearly choked on his cigarette, causing him to have a coughing fit. The other was quick to run over, slapping his back until he seemed to have it under control. “You're shitting me! How? He got missing brain chunks too??”

  “I wish, then at least I could understand. But he's...just kinda a dick. And this whole place is just...” Mike threw himself into the opposite chair, pizza forgotten as he ran a hand through his hair. “I...I'm scared to go back.”

  He noticed Jeremy stiffened immediately at that, green eye looking at him critically. “The fuck happened?”

  Mike hesitated briefly before spilling everything. About the location, being underground, the shocking, the suicides, the animatronics, and of course, Eggs. He tried to describe the feeling, being so far underground and having only one way out, or that the group seemed to really not want him there. It even seemed like Eggs didn't want him around, but the text he'd originally sent him clearly said otherwise.

  “Then don't fucking go back. Fuck that kid.” Was Jeremy's response.

  “You know I can't do that. Not when he could die...” The guard sighed, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't slept well last night after getting back. “Maybe I'm just...too used to things now. Getting rusty and all that.”

  “Most people don't make it a habit of getting accustomed to life-threatening situations.”

  Mike grinned. “That's true.”

  Jeremy smeared his cigarette into an ashtray and heaved a sigh. “Even so...you going back is a stupid, shitty idea. If something happens, none of us can exactly come rushing to help you.”

  “That's why I can't let him face it on his own either. He dies, and that's it. We'll be the only people to know, because they always find ways of hiding it.” Mike argued.

  Jeremy nodded slowly. He sighed again, forcing himself up. His prosthetic leg groaned under his weight, making him grumble about a new one, but he grabbed the pizza box and all but shoved it at Mike's head.

  “Eat and get the fuck to bed. You look like shit. If possible, I dunno, bring this kid in.”

  Mike paused at that, blinking. “Bring him in?”

  “Yeah. Not only do I wanna meet this little shit if he's giving you trouble, but maybe him meeting our domesticated breed of assholes can help. Or maybe Fredbear can use some magic voodoo crap that'll ward away robots from wanting to eat him or something.” Jeremy shrugged. “I gotta get to work.”

  It was a good idea, Mike realized. Eggs seeing the animatronics he worked with, maybe seeing how they had overcome the hostility and anger, it might help him find a way to at least get his own to do.... _something_ different. But Mike had a sneaking suspicion, given the history he had with Fazbear's, that this wouldn't be such a simple fix.

  He waved Jeremy out of the apartment as he thought, only catching the tail end of him muttering, “The fuck kinda name is _Eggs_??”

xxxxxx

  He didn't expect to see Mike the next day.

  He certainly didn't expect to see Mike waiting for him in the elevator. He paused, having to do a double take as the older man nodded to him in greeting before hitting the button to begin their descent. He stood next to him almost awkwardly, glancing at Mike curiously.

  “You look like shit.” He couldn't help saying. “Did you sleep at all?”

  “Thanks. And not really...” Mike shrugged. “I'm used to long nights though.”

  “Right...so, what happened at your job? I mean, how does a company hire a bunch of security guards and then sweep it under the rug when they die?”

  Mike raised an eyebrow at him. “I'd sit in the security room, watching a monitor, and wait for the animatronics to begin moving. They'd come to the room to try and stuff me into a suit, and I'd have to finds ways to fight them off.”

  Eggs stared at him. “That sounds pretty lame.”

  Mike snorted. They fell silent as the elevator continued. Eggs pulled out his HandyUnit and waited; it usually gave him a quick rundown on what to expect, but the longer he was around, the less it did so. They likely just assumed he knew what he was doing at this point. He gave himself a nod when it remained quiet and hit the red button when they arrived at the entrance vent.

  “Come on, old man.”

  He heard Mike grumble behind him but ignored him. He crawled through easily, dusting himself off as he waited for the other man. Mike tumbled out, his face red, but not breathing hard at least. Eggs wondered if he should offer him a hand, but by then he'd already gotten up. Shrugging, he went to the left side of the room and hit the light.

  “Ballora, how you feeling?” He called.

  An empty stage was all he got in greeting. Sighing, he hesitated. He was acutely aware of Mike staring hard into his back. Even though he'd been doing this forever, he suddenly felt uneasy about shocking them. Likely Mike's shitty, holier-than-thou attitude from yesterday. He gritted his teeth.

  “Ballora don't make me do this already.”

  Silence. He sighed and hit the button as Mike went to protest. He stared at the bright lights that appeared, noticing that the other man had approached the window. Ignoring him, he hit the light again and Ballora was dancing on stage. He shrugged it off and went for Foxy's light.

  “That's...”

  He paused only a moment, glancing at Mike before hitting the light. The white fox was nowhere to be seen either. “Gonna be a long night...”

  “That was horrible!” Mike all but exploded, making him jump. “ _That's_ your motivation for them?? And you wonder why they're trying to kill you?!”

  “I thought we discussed this yesterday...” Eggs grumbled, raising an eyebrow. “This is my job. If I don't do it, then I get fired. I'm not exactly thrilled to have to do it all the time, but it's what I'm here to do.”

  “Why? Are your bosses watching the cameras to make sure you shock them?? Are you really going to get fired if you decide to just leave them alone?” He demanded.

  Eggs sighed. “I can't take that chance. “

  They both jumped when there was a knocking noise. That had certainly never happened before. The technician glanced at the dark window before hitting the light. Ballora's head gently moved to the side when she heard the lights coming on, bowing slightly.

  “I heard loud voices.” She said softly.

  Eggs paused, glancing at Mike's pale face before looking back. “Mike and I were discussing...stuff. It's fine, Ballora, nothing to worry about.”

  “You have never argued with us before. We were curious why your assistant was raising his voice at you.” She explained.

  “I was curious about that too.” He grumbled, glaring at Mike.

  Mike gaped at him for a moment before bristling like a snarling dog. “You think you can turn this on to me? You shouldn't be electrocuting them at all, you have no idea what it does to them!”

  “They're fucking robots!” Eggs snapped back.

  “No they **aren't**!”

  The light flickered. Both men froze. Eggs swallowed, the heavy feeling back in his stomach as he noticed that Ballora's light had turned off. He considered hitting it but something told him not to. Instead he grabbed the HandyUnit, smacking it to try and get it to do something.

  “Stupid thing...! Is there something wrong with the power or not??”

  It didn't do anything, leaving him standing there; he reeled slightly. What was Mike saying? He looked up, noticing that Mike was apparently listening for something as he stood stock still. He was used to being hunted, right? So he knew what he was doing even if this wasn't the same. Even if Eggs didn't like him, he trusted those instincts.

  “The shit just happened?” He demanded softly.

  Mike ignored him and hit the light button to the gallery. It showed the empty stage; there was no sign of Ballora or the Minireenas. She was quick to move on then, he guessed, but the look on Mike's face said that wasn't it. Even so, Eggs didn't like being ignored.

  “Well??”

  “I can only assume it's the same.” Mike whispered like he was afraid of something else overhearing. “With what happened at Freddy's, it was...something else. A haunting. It's hard to explain without sounding insane, but you heard about the missing kids?”

  Eggs suddenly felt the weight turning into nausea. He tried to shrug it off. “Yeah, course. Hard not to around here...”

  “They haunted the suits. Made them go after adults, and that's why they'd kill security guards. We only recently got them to move on.”

  “Ghosts? You're telling me that you had a bunch of kid ghosts running around?” He raised an eyebrow, wondering if maybe Mike was insane.

  The older man nodded, a hand mindlessly going to his arm. There was a long scar down his forearm, with smaller scars around it. Eggs couldn't help but stare a moment before looking away. Still, even if he had scars that didn't mean Mike's story was true.

  He stared when the guard began laughing. “Sorry. It's weird to have someone not believe me. It's common knowledge back at the restaurant. All of us have dealt with ghosts...”

  “....Sure...” Eggs mumbled.

  “It's something that seems to plague the entirety of the Fazbear company. And even if this place isn't quite the same, it...feels the same. Actually it all feels the same, almost like I'm heading into the security room like I did a year ago...” Mike said.

  “As convincing as you are, forgive me if I'm not jumping on the ghost idea immediately.”

  Eggs wasn't against the idea of ghosts. But he sure as hell wasn't going to buy a haunted children pizza place. That was absurd. Sighing he decided he needed to get back to work and checked on Foxy's light again. The stage was still empty and he turned to give Mike a look.

  “Are you going to lose your shit again?”

  “...You know what, you have fun. When they try to rip your head off, I'll be standing over here remembering that you deserve it.” Mike grumbled, scowling at him.

  Eggs snorted and hit the lower button. The room turned white from the electricity before fading again. He hit the lights and Foxy was on stage. Content, he smacked at HandyUnit for specific instructions for the day as he kicked the vent to Baby's opened.

  “You gonna wait here while I see if Baby's going to behave?” He asked.

  He saw the other look wearily at the vent opening and nodded. “Yeah, waiting here seems like a good idea.”

  “I'd hate for you to break a hip.”

  He went in before Mike could argue. As he crawled through, it felt almost weird now to be on his own. At least he didn't have to worry about Mike thinking he was scum for doing his work. Sighing he crawled out of the vent and hit the lights almost immediately, not at all surprised to see the stage empty.

  “Everything okay Baby?”

  He was surprised when she appeared near the glass almost instantly. “I've wondered if you'd show...Ballora said you were having an argument with your 'assistant'. We were growing concerned.”

  “Nothing to worry about, Mike isn't used to how we do things here. He was just having a conniption.” He shrugged it off.

  “You should be careful. The others would not take well to his aggression. I would hate for them to react badly to your assistant, only for them to be blamed.” Baby went on.

  “I wouldn't let that happen. Mike being a high strung dick won't affect any of you.” Eggs shook his head and went for Handy again. “If everything's working alright then I'll leave you alone. I don't see anything in here that I need to do.”

  The animatronic hummed, staring at him. “I hope your assistant isn't keeping you away from us...”

  He paused, confused. Keeping him away? He barely was here as it was unless his boss needed him to do extra work. Usually because he had to finish a job someone else had quit during or died from. Or they had killed themselves...

  “Relax. Mike isn't the one paying my rent.”

  He went to get back into the vent only to stop. The vent had closed. That had never happened before...He frowned, noticing that Baby was still waiting there. She usually took off as soon as he'd checked up on her. Something was up then.

  “What's going on?” He asked.

  “It appears as though your assistant has angered Ballora. The Minireena's are attempting to enter your main area. It would be best if you waited here.”

  Eggs stood there for a moment as he properly took that in. Wait....the Minireenas were doing what now? “Open this thing up or else I'll do it myself.”

  “They are doing as they are programmed to do.” Was Baby's response.

  Gritting his teeth, Eggs knelt down and began pulling at the vent cover. This had never happened before and now he was surprised it hadn't. If these things could stop him from leaving, he'd really be screwed and at their mercy. Maybe he needed to start carrying a screw driver on him.

  “You better open this up before I get really pissed off.” He snarled when his hands slipped again.

  “There is no rush. Why do you want to put yourself in harms way for the one that dislikes you?” Baby asked as she very obviously didn't do as he said.

  He hissed, noticing he had red indents on his fingers. “Ow, shit!  Because you're all dicks! Now open this up.”

  He froze when he heard a rustling sound. That...definitely wasn't from behind the glass. And it wasn't those weird little Bidybabs that liked to follow Baby around since they had very distinct footsteps. It sounded like something being scraped against the floor. He'd only heard it once before, back...in the scooper.

  _“There's nothing to fear. We will never harm you.”_ Something whispered through the dark.

  The light in Baby's room had gone out while he struggled with the vent, leaving him in pitch darkness. He couldn't see what was speaking, but it sounded nothing like the other animatronics. Wide eyes stared at nothing as he tried to back away from where he'd heard the noise, only to trip over something and end up sprawled out on the floor.

  _“We need you still. You left before we could talk. Why are you scared? There's nothing to fear from us, there's nothing worth struggling over.”_

  Whatever he'd tripped over moved. He opened his mouth to yelp but nothing came out; it slithered near his ankles and wrapped itself around his legs. Panicking, Eggs began trying to kick and grabbed at whatever it was, feeling cold wires under his palms, and began trying to free himself. After everything, he couldn't even say he'd fucked up and gotten himself caught. They'd cheated, they changed the rules, this wasn't how they'd been doing this-

  “Eggs! Are you there??”

  “Kick the vent open!” He yelled back before the wires tried to wrap themselves around his mouth to silence him.

  He heard rumbling as Mike tried to turn himself around to do so. In a frenzy, Eggs began trying to rip the wires from around his mouth as they tightened. It was getting hard to breathe, his heart was racing painfully in his chest and he could only smell a metallic, rubbery smell that had flooded into his nostrils. It was only when the vent covering fell with a loud CLANK that he was released. Gasping for breath, the technician wheezed and fell to the ground as Mike rushed into the room.

  “Are you alright??” Mike asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  “I'm, I'm fucking great, never better really...” He managed, pushing himself up to his knees. “Can we just get out of here?”

  Mike hesitated and nodded. He helped him up to his feet, letting Eggs go first into the vents. When he began to calm down, he was surprised. Something had attacked him in Baby's control room. And yet Mike pushed him ahead and took up the rear even if there was something there that would grab him. Feeling a bit jumpy, as he got out of the vent, he immediately helped Mike up to make sure no wires came out and got him.

  “What happened in there?” Mike asked.

  Eggs swallowed, noticing that he was staring near his mouth. Frowning, he reached up and felt indents. Whatever that was, it had grabbed him hard. Nothing to worry about his ass...

  “Let's get out of here first...” He mumbled. “Just in case.”

  Mike didn't argue, all but ushering him out. Eggs didn't relax until they were in the elevator, heading towards the surface, and he leaned against the wall. He sighed. He had a feeling that he'd be bruising tomorrow.

  “Something was in there...I don't know what it is. It's not an animatronic that I've seen. You didn't see it?”

  “No, it was too dark.” Mike answered, shaking his head. “But if it was something you've never seen before....”

  He trailed off, lost in thought. Eggs considered nudging him but didn't. He was still mildly in shock; in the years of working, he'd never expected the robots to go against their unspoken rules. And there had been no Minireenas as far as he could see. Had Baby lied to him? Why? Were they working with this weird, unknown thing that kept slithering around?

  “Eggs...what do you say about coming with me to the restaurant?”

  He paused, glancing at the man in surprise. “Where did that come from?”

  “You might've heard of Jeremy, he was in the news a year ago when he tried to break in? I mentioned you to him, and what you've been struggling with here, and he thought I should bring you over. Our own animatronics might be able to help you. Or maybe just being among friendly people might help you for a night.” Mike shrugged casually.

  The elevator stopped. Eggs hesitated as they got out, Mike heading for his car. “Do I get free pizza out of it?”

  “I was going to offer it if you seemed like you needed convincing.” The guard laughed.

  Sighing, Eggs decided that it couldn't hurt. Well, actually Mike could drive him somewhere, leave him there, drug him, maybe sell him to human traffickers but...well, he already almost died. If that was what Mike did, then he was just meant to die tonight. He got into the car with a grumble and tried to pay attention to where they were going as they began heading into the city.

  “Damn, I forgot it's Friday night...I hope he's not too grumpy.” Mike mumbled softly as they got out of the car.

  Eggs followed him in as he unlocked the front door. They stood there for a moment, and he wondered if maybe he should feel weird or awkward about going into a children's pizzaria after hours. But he was long past caring about any of that shit and just entered the building when Mike motioned him to.

  “Anything I should worry about?” He asked as he walked in.

  Mike went to answer but was drowned out by loud, metallic footsteps. Eggs stiffened, brain trying to supply what animatronic that was because it was too quick to be Ballora, Baby was heavier than that, and Freddy didn't run. That left Foxy and-

  “Mike lad! Ya aren't supposed t'be with us!”

  Mike gave a cry as a very differently colored Foxy grabbed him and hoisted him up. “Foxy, put me down! I told you to stop doing that.”

  “What makes ya be joinin' us? Jeremy said you'd be gone for a bit.”

  Eggs stared at the two, rubbing the top of his head. So...the fox was a pirate? With an eye patch? And, holy shit that hook looked very real and sharp. Mike sighed and gave it a pat on the snout. “Came in for a visit and something to eat.”

  He motioned to him, and Eggs was suddenly being stared at by a large red fox. “This be who ya went t'help? Welcome then, laddie.”

  He offered his hook as he scrutinized him. Not sure what to do, Eggs shook it. “Eggs.”

  “I be Foxy the Pirate! Welcome to Freddy's.”

  “Don't worry about him Foxy. We came in for some pizza.” Mike said and began heading further into the pizzaria. “Come on Eggs, we should try to find Jeremy.”

  He followed behind him. It was very odd when Foxy came with them. He was used to being on the other side of a glass panel from the animatronics and being this close was....odd. Though he couldn't help but notice this fox was much shorter than the one back at his place.

  There was a stage that was very empty, with a smaller one to the side. A door was nearby that said 'Employee's Only' and Mike led him into that one. It was small inside, full of extra heads and pieces, with a man sitting at a table and looking over some kind of handheld device.

  “What the fuck are you doing here? Don't you ever want to be home??”

  Mike snorted. “You asked me to bring Eggs over.”

  He finally looked up, surprised. Eggs paused at seeing the eye patch and pale, circular scars around his forehead. “Hey, I'm Eggs.”

  “Please tell me that's not your real fucking name. Your parents can't have hated you that much right?” He asked and offered his hand to shake. “I'm Jeremy. Engineer and ever so lucky employee of Freddy Fazbear's.”

  He hesitated ever so slightly at the bluntness but shook his hand anyway. “No, not my real name. It's a long story.”

  “Thank fuck. Anyway you're here which means you get to meet our crew.” Jeremy got up, stumbling slightly, but Foxy was right there to make sure he didn't fall. “Damn, we really need to do something about these floors.”

  “Tell Mark to put that solution on the floor for you. It'll take him five seconds to get Spring to take care of it.” Mike frowned as he watched. Eggs was careful not to stare at the fake leg when he noticed it.

  “Yeah but then Spring goes overboard since he's such a damn spazz.”

  Jeremy began limping out and Mike followed immediately, sticking close. Eggs noticed Mike offered an elbow with a grin, only for the other to shove him. He followed after them a few steps; Mike was very different here. Likely being in a familiar place, surrounded by things that wouldn't kill him. They began walking down a hall where they heard loud noises and Eggs realized they were coming towards a kitchen.

  “What kind of pizza you want Eggs?” Mike asked.

  “I'm not picky, sausage, pepperoni, ham...” He shrugged.

  **“Michael, good to see you back.”**

  Eggs took only slight pleasure in seeing the man jump; he was mostly just shocked at being snuck up on from behind. He turned, seeing a huge Freddy...only this one was gold. It was followed closely by a golden bunny, the pair rather tall as they stood over the humans.

  “Hey Goldie. We came for a visit real quick since Eggs finished work early.”

  “It's gonna be too crowded for us all in the kitchen.” Jeremy suddenly pointed out. “Since they'll wanna actually see you Mike, you go order the pizzas from Chica. The kid and I can go wait in the main area else we'll be here for fucking ever.”

  Mike paused. “Probably a good idea...I'll bring them all out to meet him then. Don't scare him too bad.”

  Jeremy turned and immediately went back the way they came from. Hesitating a moment, Eggs followed him instead. It was hard not to notice that the bunny was staring at him a little too intensely and it seemed the blond man noticed too because he got between them.

  “Ignore the rust bucket. I dunno what Mike's told you, but they're designed to look out for criminals. That coupled with their sentience and ghost powers...It's hell.” Jeremy mumbled as they sat at a table near the stage.

  “Mike tried to convince me that there were ghosts but I'm not sure if I buy it.” Eggs said.

  Jeremy paused at that, looking curious. “How long have you been working with these fucks?”

  “Uh...shit, let's see...few years now. I started when I turned eighteen, I'm turning twenty-two...”

  The engineer looked impressed. “Four years and no encountering ghosts? Got really fucking lucky.”

  “Or maybe there's no ghosts.” Eggs pointed out.

  “Mm, if you believing that makes you feel better, than good for you. But I don't give a fuck what you believe. Mike told me what's going down in your shitty hole and if it were up to me, you'd never see him down there again. Mike and I have been through too much shit for him to die in a bunker from hell over some pissy, snot nosed kid. But it's not up to me, or Freddy, or even Bonnie, so he's trying to help you out.”

  Jeremy stopped only to reached into a pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one, and Eggs suddenly felt like he was getting a lecture from an angry dad over taking his daughter to prom. He certainly hadn't expected that when he'd woken up today.

  “Is he your friend or your boyfriend?” Eggs couldn't help but deadpan.

  “He's my best friend and the reason I haven't shot myself.” Jeremy answered back way too brutally honest. Eggs almost felt uncomfortable; he then motioned to his face. “So what the fuck did that?”

  He blinked, feeling the indents from earlier. They were very sore, definitely bruised, since Jeremy could see them so easily in the dim lighting. “Something attacked me today...”

  “That explains it then. Mike likes to baby things and people even if he shouldn't. He didn't want your ass alone after that and brought you here to be surrounded by friendly faces. Course, these said friendly faces are used to murdering people like you and me but he's an idiot and thinks these things can do no wrong.”

  He grimaced. Is that why Mike wanted him to come? So he wouldn't go home and be alone after that? It was...oddly compassionate of the guy, given they'd only met yesterday. “He makes a habit of being a loser then?”

  To his surprise, Jeremy grinned. “I'd be careful around here. One bad word against Mike and you'll find your head ripped clean off your shoulders.”

  Eggs only stopped when he heard footsteps. Mike came out into the room nearly surrounded by different robots. He recognized a Freddy and Bonnie, though they were very different. He now understood what Mike was talking about when he'd talked to Bonbon. The yellow...bird was something he'd only heard about in files since Chica was quite popular with girls. She was carrying a huge, steaming pizza towards them while Mike tried to convince Bonnie to let him carry the plates.

  “Welcome to our establishment, young man.” Freddy greeted him. “Though I can't say I approve of our competitor's being here, if Mike's brought you then I guess we can overlook it this once.”

  “If Mike is as much a mother hen as I think he is, I get the feeling I'll be here a lot...” Eggs mumbled.

  Mike glared at him. “I am not!”

  “You kinda are, Mike.” Bonnie pointed out.

  “You say that like it's a bad thing!” Chica added, huffing.

  Eggs watched, raising an eyebrow. This was...weird. Bonnie grabbed Mike as they continued joking, Chica standing close, and Freddy even poked the man's forehead with a laugh. They were all very...careful. As the bruises throbbed, he knew that the animatronics would easily hurt humans without much effort. But their touches showed a lingering understanding. They were cautious to never press too hard. It left an odd feeling in his chest.

  “Can we eat or what?” Jeremy finally cut in.

  “Sorry. Eggs, you probably figured out who everyone is. They're pretty different than your own.” Mike said, chuckling as he sat next to the younger man. “You met Golden Freddy and Springtrap earlier. He prefers it if you call him Fredbear nowadays.”

  “Fredbear?” Eggs paused, a faint memory forming. “And I'm going to have to assume Springtrap isn't the official name...”

  Jeremy snorted and began eating a piece of pizza. “That's a story you really don't want to sit through.”

  Confused, Eggs blinked and only grabbed himself some when Mike motioned for him to go ahead. It felt odd to sit here, surrounded by the things that usually tried to kill him, eating with two people he barely knew. It didn't help that every time he chewed, the pain flared up and he had to stop, wincing.

  “You want some painkillers? You're making me lose my appetite.” Jeremy said.

  “You not wanting to eat is really the focal point of my night...” Eggs rolled his eyes.

  Mike snorted, beginning to get up. “I'll get it. Sorry Eggs I should've offered you some ice when we got here.”

  “You're really not helping the mother hen thing you know.” He called after him as the guard headed off.

  “Mike mentioned that you work with some other models similar to us.” Freddy said suddenly. Eggs did his best to stare at the bear even as his brain told him to get ready to run. “While it is not unusual, given our history, that you'd have similar problems we are worried to what extent this is going on.”

  “Freddy, relax. I already gave the kid the rundown.” Jeremy said.

  Eggs looked between the two. “You both act like I'm dating Mike or something. I'm not. If he doesn't want to come back he doesn't have to. I wouldn't blame him, I'm not exactly pleased about it myself. But it's my job.”

  “But if something were to happen to him down there...” Freddy trailed off, looking back near the stage. His gold counterpart was watching them with Springtrap.

  The technician didn't like the idea that they'd been watching them this whole time; something about the two made the back of his head itch. “Then what? You'd come after me? Set the place on fire? Don't leave me hanging in the suspense.”

  He jumped when Jeremy's fist connected with the tabletop. But the man was glaring at the animatronics over his head, not him, and Eggs couldn't stop himself from being amazed when they instantly backed down. Bonnie grabbed on to the bear and the three headed for the kitchen hall where Mike had left to. He stared as Jeremy slowly sat back down, breathing hard.

  “Ignore them. They like to hear themselves talk.”

  Eggs couldn't help himself. “They're afraid of you.”

  “They know what I'll do to them if they don't keep their mouths shut. Fuck me, shut up for a second.”

  He was rubbing at the white patch over his head with a groan, other hand clutching his head. Eggs stiffened when he saw hints of blood on the patch. Was the wound new? But that didn't explain it bleeding like that...

  “Should I get someone?”

  “It won't help.” Jeremy sighed and after a moment, grabbed himself more pizza. “Fazdick wants you to bring Mike's body back here if he dies with you.”

  That definitely wasn't what he was expecting. “What?? Why? If Mike died I'm assuming that I'm not far afterwards.”

  “Yeah but your safety doesn't concern them. If Mike's brought here, then they wanna do their creepy magic voodoo shit and probably connect him to one of the suits. Make him a ghost and such. It’s best that you just make sure you both come back live.” He explained off-handedly.

  “…Even if I believed your ghost crap, what should I do? They aren’t exactly sitting there waiting for me to open up to them, offering tea and biscuits.” Eggs grumbled.

  “Honestly, there’s no easy answer. It took me breaking in and Mike being a moron for these assholes to let up on him and from that, they bonded as friends. Course there were ups and downs, I had to rush in here a few times to help, Mike’s got scars from Freddy losing his tempter…but in the end, he did what I thought was impossible.” Jeremy paused. “I’ve lost too much to these fuckers. But Mike’s helped.”

  Eggs glanced over at the pizza. “You think you could break into my place then and give me an opening?”

  Jeremy snorted out a laugh as Mike returned with some painkillers and a soda that he handed over. Eggs took them gratefully, sighing as the guard sat back down. He was relieved when the animatronics didn’t invite themselves back over.

  “You need a ride home? I can give you one since I took you all the way over here.”

  The technician gave him a look. “I guess…you aren’t going to start coming over to my apartment afterwards are you? Cuz I really…don’t want that.”

  Mike rolled his eyes. “No I won’t. I have my stuff to take care of you know.”

  “He pretends he has a life but he doesn’t. He just spends all his time here with the assholes.” Jeremy mumbled.

  “You’re an idiot and I’m not going to save you any hot water.”

  Eggs watched the two older men as they began arguing. He took the last piece of pizza, able to chew without it hurting. He was amazed that the two were roommates; Jeremy didn’t seem like the type to put up with anyone else, but then again…he definitely thought highly of Mike. Maybe the guard was actually on to something when he tried to tell him what to do back at work?

  Unfortunately, Eggs was a stubborn asshole. He wasn’t about to just stop doing what had been working for him for years now. Mike was a veteran of his ghost kid robots that creeped around. Eggs was a master of his own brand of fucked up rentals. What he’d been doing had kept him alive up until now.

  Jeremy gave him a piece of paper as he left. He glanced at it briefly as Mike drove him home; it was the engineer’s number. Written sloppily underneath was _‘just in case’_. Eggs felt oddly relieved. Mike gave him a ‘see you tomorrow’ as he got out, and he could only wave back as he entered his apartment.

  The first thing he did was put the popcorn in the microwave. As it began popping, he went into the bathroom and turned on the light. His skin was naturally pale, made his purple eyes look unnatural and fake; most people didn’t believe him when he said they were natural. The entirety of his mouth and cheeks were bruised a dark purple with a hint of yellow. He prodded at it only to quickly rip his hand away; it obviously hurt.

  _“We need to talk”_ the thing had whispered to him. It had tried to keep him away from Mike. Tried to seclude him away. If it was working with Baby and the others, then it had planned to use his argument with the man to its advantage in trying to get him isolated. It certainly worked…but why? What did it want from him? It wanted to talk to him when he was alone and blind and it had no qualms about forcing him to comply.

  Eggs sighed and left the bathroom when the microwave went off. Whatever it was, he’d deal with it when the time came. He wasn’t about to roll over and die; especially not with Mike around. He couldn’t let the man win their imaginary rivalry. He was going to face those fucked up potentially haunted animatronics and he was going to be able to walk away from it all.

  Circus Baby’s wouldn’t win.

 


	3. Please don't hold against our sins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy a little look into what makes Eggs...well, Eggs. <3

 

Warnings; violence, mentions of child abuse, touchy-feely robots

Xxxxxx

He wanted to be upset when someone knocked on his front door and Mike was staring at him through the peephole. He was tired and his mouth hurt and it was too early to be dealing with someone else. He opened the door and gave the other man a dark look, noting that Mike cringed slightly upon seeing him.

“Did you put any ice on that last night? It’s still pretty bad…”

“Mike, you promised that I wouldn’t find you creeping around here if I let you drive me home. Why are you here?” He demanded impassively.

“Oh, well I thought I’d drive you to work is all. And I…kinda wanted to make sure you were okay. After what happened last night you seemed kinda jumpy…” He shrugged easily.

He stared at him until Mike began shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. “I got molested by a tentacle robot.”

“Uhh…” There was something like panic in Mike’s eyes and Eggs stared.

“I was…kidding, why are you acting like that’s actually a-”

“I think we should get moving, I’ll treat you to dinner.” Mike cut him off hastily dragged him out of his apartment.

The drive was silent as Eggs glared at him the entire way. Mike made sure not to catch his eye as he drove and they came to some small diner that looked…nice. Even if it was shit, Eggs wasn’t paying so he wasn’t about to argue. He got a lot of stares as they walked in, his bruises apparently interesting to some, as Mike led him to a booth that already had a man sitting in it.

“Hey, I’m Mark.” The guy introduced himself with a smile, offering his hand.

“Eggs.” He mumbled back and shook it rather loosely. Why was Mike making him meet this guy now too?

Something glittered in Mark’s eyes. “Eggs Benedict huh?”

“Why you reading my files?” He asked back as he sat down.

Mark chuckled, sipping from a steaming mug. “I’m the Manager at Freddy Fazbear’s. I have access to that kind of stuff. Mike mentioned you when he came in the other day and I decided to look you up.”

Eggs nodded and barely glanced up when a waitress brought him and Mike a water. “Pretty sure you discussing that is illegal and that’s kinda like an abuse of power. But okay. The hell you want then?”

“Mark doesn’t mean it like that.” Mike cut in gently with a smile. “He was worried about how Baby’s was treating you. He hasn’t told any of us anything, even if we asked.”

“In all honesty, I was curious. I mean, your name is Eggs in the files. I’m assuming that’s a typo but-”

“That’s awful rude of you to assume.” Eggs mumbled.

“-But then I kept reading. Sorry. But I was curious, I mean, you’ve been working there for almost five years. That’s quite a while to last in these kinds of places, especially ones where you’re casually bringing up most your coworkers commit suicide.”

He couldn’t stop himself from glaring at Mike, wondering what else the man was blabbing about. He had the decency to look sheepish but still had the self-righteous look to him. Sighing, Eggs took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

“Okay so what?”

“We want to help you.” Mark said seriously. “Mike wouldn’t tell any of us why he wanted to be transferred for a week or two, and it took a shitton of string pulling to move him. Bonnie almost took my head right off when I told them. But too many people have gotten wrapped up in the Fazbear Company’s shit and gotten killed. So I have a suggestion.”

Eggs raised an eyebrow. “You brought me here and are buying me food to hear some idea you came up with after snooping through my files?”

“Mike can’t keep coming with you down there.” There was a finality to the way Mark said it that made Eggs twitch. “Obviously. This was temporary. You have him for a few more days, and that’s it. If you still need someone’s help, then…”

Mike crossed his arms, looking visibly displeased. The smile and humor in his face drained as he eyed his water that he’d been avoiding. “Jeremy’s coming down with you.”

“No.” Eggs said immediately.

“It’s him or no one.” Mark pointed out.

“Then I’ll work alone. You aren’t letting him down there. The guy’s what? Gonna crawl through vents and run from the robots like that? No. End of story.”

Mike sighed what was almost like relief. “He’s going to insist…”

“Then after work I’ll come to your restaurant and tell him no myself.” Eggs argued hotly. He put his glasses back on and leaned back into the booth, gritting his teeth. “You let him get on that elevator and I’ll make you regret it.”

He noticed the two sharing a look. “Not that I’m going to argue but, why are you so against the idea?”

“Jeremy’s gone through this all before. He’s the one that makes the animatronics after they’re broken down. He could be invaluable down there.” Mark added.

“He said he lost his eye and foot to your robots right?” Eggs shook his head. “I’m not gonna let him be in the position to lose more. I have things under control.”

“He’s disabled not useless.” Mike snipped at him.

“And I’d think you’d wanna keep him that way. We don’t know what Baby wants, but I’m not going to let someone else get hurt just because I’m worried.”

The waitress came back with plates. Eggs didn’t recall ordering, confused, only to stiffen when his plate was put in front of him, seeing the toast and cheese and eggs. He glared at Mark who only grinned back. “You’re a piece of shit and I’ll reach over there and kill you.”

“Look on the sunny side Eggs.” Mark’s grin widened. “It’s free.”

Xxxxxxx

“You know he was just teasing, I don’t see why you’re so upset.”

Eggs ignored him. He was staring at nothing as the elevator brought them down underground. His hands brushed against his mouth again as it continued throbbing. Honestly, while annoyed at Mark for serving him his namesake, that wasn’t what was bothering him. And he wasn’t sure how to explain it so he continued to ignore the older man.

“Why does Jeremy want to come down here?” He suddenly asked when the elevator stopped.

Mike paused, staring at him. “Same reason I’m here right now.”

“He’s not some bleeding heart though, not like you are. So why?” He asked again.

“Will you stop calling me that? You make it sound like it’s wrong to have some compassion.” Mike grumbled slightly but shrugged. “And well…I dunno, guess you made an impression. He didn’t bring it up till after I dropped you off at home. Jeremy probably just wants to make sure nothing happens to you the same way I don’t.”

“I’m not your problem.”

Mike sighed heavily. “You’re doing that, ‘being an asshole’ thing again you know.”

“I’m not. I’m some guy that panicked and cried for help. We aren’t coworkers, not really, and more than that we aren’t friends. You shouldn’t go out of your way for me, and neither should Jeremy.” He said.

When the other man didn’t say anything right away, Eggs began crawling through the vent. It didn’t take long, as usual, before he was in the main area and his HandyUnit came on. He sighed and pulled it out of his pocket.

“ _Welcome back. Considering the urgent way you rushed out last time, we decided to dock your pay. Please write a report explaining why you left ahead of schedule.”_

“Wha-I did not!” Eggs smacked it. “I checked on everyone and left!”

“ _If you have any disagreements, then please make sure to contact your superior during office hours.”_

He considered throwing it. But Eggs just sighed, rubbing his forehead as Mike finally pulled himself up beside him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just…nothing. I’m going to check on Ballora.”

He hit the light button a bit more roughly than he intended. He was surprised when Ballora continued to dance on her stage, though her small army of minions weren’t around. Even so, it was rare that she was on stage when he came in. He released a sigh and let the light go off before turning towards the auditorium.

Foxy was standing there; it didn’t even move when the light came on. Confused, Eggs glanced back at Mike who shrugged. Something was eating at him now. The heaviness in his stomach was back. Swallowing roughly, he opened Baby’s vent only to hesitate.

“You keep going first so move.” Mike suddenly pushed past him and was in the vent before he could argue.

He paused, wondering if that was the others attempt at making sure he didn’t get jumped again. Sighing he followed after him, trying not to get too annoyed with Mike’s slow pace. It wasn’t at all what he was used to. But he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“So, you wanna explain that little outburst earlier?” Mike asked him when he got into the control room.

“I don’t have outbursts so I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eggs mumbled.

Mike sighed, rubbing at his temples. “About me and Jeremy not ‘going out of our way’ I think you put it. You realize we want to help right?”

“You shouldn’t speak for someone.” Was his only response.

“You want me to put him on speaker phone so he can tell you you’re being an idiot?” Mike offered, pulling out his phone.

“Sure, then I can tell him if he comes here I’ll take his fake leg and hide it until I’m done for the night.”

Mike groaned. “I think he’d seriously kill you…but honestly, Eggs, even if we aren’t friends since we just met, we are coworkers. We know what goes on down here. You know what happens at the restaurant. We should look out for each other, and that’s what Jeremy wants. He doesn’t want you down here alone.”

“Yeah well that’s what I’m used to. And it’s proved something to me...” Eggs shrugged.

“You’re being stubborn…” Mike hesitated. “Don’t you have a family at all? Someone that’ll miss you?”

Even when he tried not to, Eggs stiffened. His face went stony as he tried to keep his voice even. “Nope.”

Mike stared at him. “Are you okay?”

“Great, never better, stop talking about it.” He grumbled, glancing to the sides; anything to keep from meeting Mike’s eyes. “I don’t even know why you’d want Jeremy down here when the guy’s your best friend. And roommate. You want him to be caught up in this?”

“Course not, but I’m not his mother. I can’t make him do anything and I can’t really stop him. Now stop trying to change the subject.”

“You know, for someone with obvious daddy issues you sure like to push when someone clearly doesn’t want to talk about this crap.” Eggs all but hissed back.

Mike flinched slightly, eyes wide. There was silence, the two standing there. Eggs knew he should just do what he came here to do, but the other kept…staring. He felt irritated. These things didn’t bother him anymore, what did he care anymore he was a goddamn adult, but he had a feeling Mike was going to keep picking at it.

“My dad was murdered outside of work and abused my mom.” Mike suddenly said, almost calmly. There was a slight waver to his voice. “Your turn.”

“Oh, is that the rules?” He snipped angrily, though his brain did wander. “You share, even though I didn’t ask, and I gotta spill my guts too??”

“What’s there to lose?” Mike asked softly. “I’m your coworker. I won’t tell anyone. Maybe I can even relate.”

“Well you can’t.” Eggs sighed, hesitating. Honestly, he was more upset that it even apparently still bothered him. “I’m adopted.”

Mike raised an eyebrow, knowing that wasn’t the end. “And?”

“I guess you can say I got the honor of getting adopted twice. I dunno what happened to my ‘real’ parents, never bothered to find out. But my dad, the adoptive one, well, he just…went missing. And mom I never knew, birth mom or the first adoption, so once he was gone it was just…me. And so I got moved around. But there was an investigation, my older brother went missing with him, and I never really got to find out anything. Entire family, gone, twice mind you, and I got nothing for it.” Eggs snorted. “And well…let’s just say my newest family aren’t the greatest of people.”

“Define not great…” Mike pressed softly.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “You ever been locked in your room?”

“When I was grounded. Maybe locked in is a strong word but…” He paused, frowning. “Why?”

“You ever been locked in your room for three weeks?” He asked rhetorically. Mike gaped slightly. “No huh? No one noticed till I think…damn, maybe the third month. I didn’t get enrolled into school so no one noticed there. But neighbors did finally. Called someone. But once my new dad showed that he had a permit to home school me, the cops just left it there. I never left that room in the few years I lived there till I managed to get out and ran away. Never went back, and I made damn sure I didn’t get caught.”

Silence. Eggs stared at Mike, who in turn couldn’t look away from the floor. “That’s all just…”

“Relax, what’s a friendly story between coworkers.” He said sardonically. Mike winced slightly. “Now let’s do what we need to so they don’t find another excuse to not pay me.”

He hit Baby’s light. She wasn’t there. That little bit of normalcy made a warm sense of relief go through him. He really wanted to forget any of that had just happened. He sighed. Without another thought he hit the shock button but it fritzed out on him. Blinking, he stared at it and tried again. The same sound; something was wrong with the power.

“Oh shit.”

“What’s that mean?” Mike asked.

He bit his lip, ignoring the painful throbbing. “Something’s wrong with the power. I’m going to have to get into the other room and turn it back on but…”

“But??” Mike was apparently getting impatient, given how nervous he suddenly looked.

“Freddy is in there. And it’s…not fun if he’s decided to be a giant pain in the ass…” Eggs began pacing. “But I have to do this. But getting in there, sneaking by Ballora, I’ve never thought of doing it with two people. I dunno how quiet you are.”

“Shit…” Mike frowned, thinking. “You…could go without me?”

“Yeah but they aren’t attacking me with you around.”

He paused, blinking in shock. “What?”

“Last time, I was only attacked when we were separated. And when you came into the room, they left. Whatever that thing was, it doesn’t want other people around.” Eggs continued biting his lip. “So if you’re there, maybe Freddy will keep sleeping or won’t bother me too much. Hell, maybe Ballora won’t bother us. But that’s taking a huge chance.”

“I’ll go do it then.” Mike said.

Eggs snorted. “No, you’re not doing my job for me. They already docked my pay, I can’t imagine what would happen if you started doing my work for me too…”

The guard looked annoyed at that. But Eggs brushed it off. He tasted the strong metallic taste of iron and realized he’d started bleeding. Irritated at himself, he tried to relax. He did this all the time. It was fine. He nodded to himself and began going through the vent, Mike following behind him.

“I’ll quick go do it, but…you better be careful. I don’t think I got the chance to mention it last night, but Baby said the Minireena’s were coming after you. I thought you were being attacked when I suddenly got jumped.” Eggs explained.

Mike looked surprised before nodded. “Don’t worry about me. If something happens then I’ll make a run for the elevator.”

That was a good idea. Eggs mumbled something and opened Ballora’s vent before squeezing through. He made sure the vent didn’t close behind him before he peeked around. He couldn’t hear the ballerina’s music box song so he began moving quickly against the floor while keeping an ear out. It seemed she had no intentions of getting off the stage though since he never heard it the entire trip.

He took a deep breath. Spilling anything personal wasn’t usually…him, but he heard talking through that kind of crap helped. Maybe now he could stop ever worrying about it. And Mike said he wouldn’t tell…He had to believe him, even if he didn’t really like Mike that well.

He entered the Breaker Room and listened in the dark. Nothing moved. Sighing quietly, he went for the fuse box and began looking it over. Baby’s room and Funtime Auditorium had both gone dark. Confused, he began restoring the power while making sure Freddy didn’t wake up. But like Ballora and Foxy, the white bear seemed to have no interest in what he was doing.

Were they broken? Eggs felt something like panic; if they were, then management would come after him. And he certainly couldn’t afford anything like this. He barely got along as he did. He was already going to have to dip into his ‘special’ savings, something from his old family, from the pay dock…

Making sure the power was fully on, Eggs decided to do something very stupid. He wandered over and cleared his throat. “Freddy?”

The bear didn’t move. His eyes were open, but it kept staring ahead. Bonbon was sleeping on his hand. Beginning to really worry, Eggs snapped his fingers at the animatronic but still didn’t get a reply. What was going on here. Ballora and Foxy both were acting weird, now Freddy, after he’d left in hurry yesterday. Something was going on but he couldn’t begin to understand.

“HELP!”

Eggs jumped, eyes wide. “Mike?!”

“EGGS, HELP ME!”

That was definitely Mike’s voice…Had he entered the gallery?? His heart began racing as he hesitated briefly, knowing that Ballora could likely get them both, before running out the door.

“Mike, what’s happening-!”

He entered the gallery, eyes scanning the darkness for the other man. And then he felt the wires wrapping themselves around his waist. He froze, brain not reacting. It was only when they tightened that he gasped, and tried to pry them off, but they wouldn’t budge. They continued, holding his waist and then his arms were pinned to his side. Shaking, Eggs tried to find what it was but couldn’t see anything in the dark.

“Let go of me! You sick assholes, get off!”

“ _Hush now. There is nothing to worry about.”_

Eggs snarled. “You said that last time and nearly suffocated me! Now get off, where’s Mike?”

“ _Gone. And we did not. Your continued struggles are the only thing damaging you. We cannot control that. All we want is to talk with you. We only want to make you understand.”_

His heart was beating painfully in his chest. His ribs groaned in protest; everything was too tight and it hurt, he could already tell that his skin was bruising. He continued to try and move against the mysterious voice, but ended up falling to his knees. The wires tightened again in response and he couldn’t stop himself from crying out in pain.

“ _We would not harm you, but you force our hand. Why do you run? Why do you struggle? We merely wish to talk, to discuss with you. We do not wish harm upon you, one so dear to us.”_

That was fucking creepy. He couldn’t hold back a shudder. “What are you?”

The slithering sound was suddenly there. Eggs trembled even though he tried to stop himself; he didn’t want to show fear to this…thing. _“We are many things. But most importantly, we are desperate.”_

Something wrapped itself around his mouth, causing the old marks to flare up, and suddenly Eggs was off the ground. He yelped, eyes wide. He couldn’t see anything in the dark room, but whatever had him was pulling him off the floor and into the air. He tried to struggle again, getting only a tightening of the wires that made his lungs ache, and tried to kick out. Something was suddenly pressed into his lips, he jumped when he felt a zap as loose wiring hit his tongue, and something utterly disgusting was oozing down his throat-

The light came on, nearly blinding him. And in that instant, the wires came undone and dropped him, causing him to fall face first back into the tile. He gasped painfully, wheezing and curling up into a fetal position. His arms went protectively around his sore middle and he felt something bleeding on his face. Everything hurt and screamed so there was no way to tell what it was.

“Eggs! Are you alright?!”

Mike ran from the vent, phone in hand to use as a light. His blue eyes ran over him frantically before he cursed and went to help him up. “Come on, we gotta get you out of here. Can you move?”

He wanted to tell him that obviously he couldn’t, else he’d be running out of here. But instead he groaned painfully. Mike stared a moment before he began forcing him up to his feet, all but dragging him along. Eggs tried to help the best he could, but it was too much. When they got to the vent, he found he was able to crawl; likely shock, he mused to himself in a way that was far too calm.

“What happened?!” Mike demanded again once they were in the control module.

He propped him up against the wall, looking him over. Eggs struggled with talking a moment, finding a mouthful of blood. “Wires…Mcgee again.”

“Holy shit, we have to get you to a hospital! Come on, just through the vent and I’ll drive you.”

He shook his head. “Can’t…afford that. M’fine.”

“You could have internal bleeding or broken ribs. And it looks like you hit your face pretty hard. You have to go in.” Mike argued. He was pale as he looked him over.

He must look like shit then, Eggs mused. He shook his head again, a shaking hand going into his pocket. He took out HandyUnit. He struggled with the messed up, glitching keypad but managed to make a note along the lines of, ‘attacked in gallery’ that likely was misspelled. Mike looked like he was going to smack it out of his hand.

“You can’t stay here!”

“Your…place.” He wheezed slightly. “Not…home. No hospitals.”

He didn’t remember leaving the facility. Everything blurred together until Mike was opening the passenger side door. It took Eggs a moment before he realized they were outside Freddy Fazbear’s. Why? Was Mike going to throw him at the animatronics and tell them they needed…how did Jeremy put it? Use their voodoo ghost powers?

He really didn’t want to haunt a children’s animatronic.

Mike must’ve called ahead because the doors opened and Mark was there to help him with carry Eggs to the door. He flinched when Bonnie took him from there; he really didn’t want anything robotic to be touching him at the moment. But the purple bunny easily got him into the restaurant and laid him on a cleared off table. Jeremy shooed him away as Eggs tried to focus on not throwing up all over any of them.

“The fucking hell happened?!” Jeremy demanded.

“He got attacked again, I don’t know what it did I couldn’t see-” Mike talked in a rush that hurt Eggs’ head; the guy seemed like he was panicking.

“Fuck me. Bonnie, first aid kit. Springtrap get the lights on properly we need to see. Mark’s the best with that shit right? Get over here you useless shit!”

Eggs wanted to admire Jeremy and the way the animatronics instantly did as he ordered. But he ended up losing the fight and had to grab the engineer for support as he hauled himself up, ignoring Mark’s protests, and spewed what looked and tasted like blood all over the tiled floor. Something else was mixed in though, something dark and tar-like that made it hard to breathe as it clung to his throat. He retched, grateful when Jeremy helped him lean over more and he coughed up more tar before collapsing back down.

“…What even is that?” Mark asked, horrified.

“M-made me…swallow s’thing, can’t….” Eggs coughed, heaving again.

Mark all but pushed Jeremy aside when Bonnie came back. The lights came on overhead that made him groan. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened before I can do anything.”

He shuddered, trying to get his brain and throat working against the agony and burning. “G-grabbed me…from above. Squeezed. Put something in my stomach and then I…fell.”

He saw Jeremy examining the tar and blood before Mark was leaning over him. He had a cloth, a sanitary wipe, and began cleaning off the blood and…whatever it was from around his mouth and nose. “Your nose isn’t broken, but you definitely hit it when you fell. I don’t see any signs of a concussion…”

He opened something to the side. Mike was pacing as Bonnie, Chica and Freddy stood with him, their concern focused solely on the guard. Dicks. He tried to turn his head, spotting Fredbear and Springtrap with Foxy on the other side of the table before Mark made him turn back.

“I’m going to undo your shirt. This will hurt, I’m checking for broken ribs, but tell me if it’s too much.”

“You a doctor?” Eggs asked, slurring slightly as he tried to keep his voice even.

“Trying to be. Now don’t talk.” Mark said.

Eggs screamed when he pressed down near his stomach. Springtrap was suddenly holding him still as Mark kept lightly pressing around his abdomen and ribs; he couldn’t help the tears that slid from his eyes and was thankful when it seemed no one noticed.

“Nothing is broken, but you’re bruised up really bad. And whatever that is…” Mark trailed off before going through the first aid kit.

“It’s fucking oil.” Jeremy said.

Eggs groaned. “What?”

“Oil? Why would it put that in his stomach, that would kill him!” Mike said, staring at the puddle.

“It’s lucky he threw up then. It would eat away at his insides otherwise and…” Mark stopped himself, pulling out a bottle of something. “Chica, go get me a cup of milk please and quickly.”

Chica ran off towards the kitchen. Eggs groaned, managing to sit up with Mark’s help. He felt awful; the burning hadn’t stopped in his throat or his waist, and everything hurt now. He felt exhausted. Today sucked, he decided as Chica came back and handed him a paper cup of milk.

“Take these with that. The milk will help if there’s still any oil left in there.” Mark explained, handing him a few painkillers. “Honestly you should go into the hospital and get something stronger. You’re going to be hurting for awhile.”

“If you wanna offer to pay for that then fine…” He mumbled as he slumped on the table, drinking his milk quickly.

“What even happened?? Where did that thing come from?” Mike asked him, eyeing Eggs like he’d keel over any second.

Eggs shrugged, breathing hard from guzzling his drink. “I…I heard you screaming so I ran out. Thing was waiting for me…”

“Screaming? Me?” Mike frowned, confused.

“Yeah, that was definitely you…” He paused, staring at him. “Were you not…yelling?”

“No, I was just sitting in the main room waiting for you. I heard something though and turned on the light only to see you fall from near the ceiling.”

Eggs went still, feeling cold. If that hadn’t been Mike, then…what was it? He shuddered again, hissing when his ribs ached. That had been his voice, calling his name. He jumped when something metallic prodded at his head.

“Is he going to be broken?” Springtrap asked.

“Don’t do that, he’s recovering.” Mark batted at his hand, and the robot pouted. Eggs nearly did a double take. “And he’s not broken.”

“That’s good then. I don’t think we’ll have room if someone else gets put into a suit.”

Eggs felt his eye twitch despite the pain. “I refuse to haunt a pizzeria.”

“Do you need more milk? Should he eat?” Chica asked.

“I’d take more milk, but I’m not eating.” The idea of food made him want to vomit again. His stomach felt like it was turning in place.

Mark nodded. “Food isn’t a good idea. You need to rest and be monitored, to make sure that none of the oil went into your intestines. If they did, then you’ll have to go into the hospital no matter what. We’ll have to make a report, I can handle that if it’s that serious.”

Eggs mumbled something, staring at the floor. He then realized his sick was still there and winced. “Sorry…about the floor.”

“Think nothing of it, Eggs. We can handle a little cleaning.” Bonnie said, already moving a mope and bucket over.

Jeremy rubbed at his eye patch as he limped over. “These assholes are made to do this shit, don’t worry. We should probably move you though. Not a whole lot of places to put you, but if we need to keep an eye on you…”

“We can put him on the stage. We’re all in here or walking through the main floor.” Springtrap offered. “We have blankets still don’t we?”

Mike looked at bunny in surprise. “We have blankets near the prize corner…I don’t think anyone would mind if we use one.”

“If they do, too bad.” Mark shrugged it off easily.

Eggs groaned. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

Even so, he didn’t argue when the gold bunny picked him up. He did flinch though and he certainly didn’t appreciate that he was just picked up and carried around like a handbag. It didn’t help that his heart was racing slightly being near an animatronic after whatever had happened to him. Mike seemed to notice since he quickly followed after them.

“Try to rest even if you can’t.” He said, taking the blanket that Mark ran over with. “If you need anything just yell. Someone’s bound to hear…”

Eggs hesitated, wincing as he tried to lay down on the hardwood of the stage. “…Thanks, Mike…for all this.”

Mike looked surprised before he chuckled. “Think nothing of it. When you’re feeling better then…then we’ll think of a plan of attack. That thing is getting more aggressive, and…”

“You said it was one of us?” Springtrap suddenly asked.

Eggs nodded slowly. “Yes…though, guess its more wires than robot.”

“Hmm…” Springtrap frowned, eyes looking around. “I remember…back in Fredbear’s, we were being converted to run on oil. But batteries became much more sufficient. Putting oil into a human though…”

“That sound familiar at all?” Mike asked.

The bunny shook his head. “Not…not from us. It was an old joke that…certain people made.” Mike stiffened and Eggs raised a tired eyebrow. “Scott mentioned that he’d rather run off oil so he could keep up with the suits. Said if he had that in him then he’d be like us.”

Mike frowned. “Scott did, huh…”

“I’ll go see if Fredbear knows or remembers.” The bunny then left.

“He usually doesn’t really…get touchy with people.” The guard began slowly, looking curious. “He must like you. He doesn’t think much of me at all, and he only really listens to Jeremy if he has to. But he adores Mark.”

“Fascinating.” Eggs mumbled.

Mike eyed him. “How are you feeling? I mean…you’re still pretty pale and sickly looking. You gonna be sick again?”

“I don’t know Mike and I dunno if I even care. I just want to die at the moment.”

“Well I'm afraid we can't let that happen.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “If it's okay with you, I'll have Mark make sure you don't get into trouble for today. I'd hate for them to try and take more of your paycheck.”

He tried to nod the best he could. Moving hurt, staying still hurt,his throat was definitely swollen...He wanted to pass out and not think for awhile. Mike seemed to understand since he grabbed a nearby jacket (Eggs felt the cigarettes in the pocket and knew it was Jeremy's) and placed it under his head as a pillow.

“Just yell if you need anything okay?”

Eggs nodded again and Mike reluctantly left. Exhausted, the man sighed and closed his eyes. He hoped sleep came easily. He didn't want to keep sitting here like this...He almost immediately dozed off; his brain was fuzzy and oddly aware. He heard voices, knowing they were standing nearby since he could understand what they were discussing.

“ **You're being oddly protective. That's not like you. This human is not Mark.”**

“I know. But he reminds me of someone...”

Eggs wanted to grumble. He definitely didn't want some weird animatronic trying to look out for him because he acted like some other asshole. He then must've fell asleep since the next moment, he was jerking awake and found Jeremy standing over him.

“Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you. But we need to get you checked on again before we send you home.”

“S'fine...what you need me to do?” He asked.

“Just be awake. Mark will make sure none of that shit is inside you, you can get home, and we'll decide the fuck is going on at your place.” Jeremy shrugged.

Eggs mumbled something like an agreement and Mark wandered over with Mike hanging back. The manager had a small penlight that he lit into the man's eyes, which was rather uncomfortable, and then he was pressing against his stomach again. He jerked at the touch and kicked out instinctively; it still hurt and burned. He gagged briefly, Mark helping him lean over the stage as he tried to breathe and not throw up again. Mike patted his back as he managed to swallow down the bile.

“You're getting color back, so none of the oil is in your system...” Mark said softly. “But your ribs are very, very bruised. Maybe even cracked. Are you sure you don't want to go in?”

“No. I file an indecent report _and_ go to the hospital, and my job's over.” Eggs shook his head.

Mike sighed at that. “Even so, maybe you shouldn't go home by yourself...Or even go in tonight. This thing attacked you the second it could, when you were alone...when I leave, who knows what it's going to do.”

Eggs paused, trying to pull himself together. “Can't not go. Got bills to pay.”

“This thing apparently what? Can mimic voices?” Jeremy suddenly asked, cigarette in his mouth. “Cuz you hearing Mike screaming for help and getting ambushed is a pretty...intelligent tactic. This thing is serious about doing something to you. While Mike's there, you can't be alone.”

“I have to be for certain areas. Mike can't come with me when we're trying to be stealthy...” Eggs mumbled.

He watched Jeremy light his cigarette despite the many disapproving looks he got. “We'll have to come up with something then. Else your ass is fucking toast. You gonna be alright at home on your own?”

“I'll be fine, I'll just sleep and hope I feel better afterwards.” He shrugged it off easily; he couldn't afford to let this slow him down even if his ribs were indeed cracked. “Maybe I can find where this mimic thing came from tonight at work...”

“If you insist...”

“I'll drive you home, okay? It's been quite a day for you...”

Eggs wanted to be annoyed at that. He didn't want to be reminded of earlier, him telling Mike anything about himself, or that he'd been upset about it. He gave the guard a look, but it wasn't very threatening. He could barely keep his eyes open, and he likely looked like a sick dog.

“Come on, Eggs. Let's go.”

Mark helped him off the stage and supported most of his weight. “Now that things aren't quite so serious, I'm glad you're alright Eggs. I'd hate to see you... _crack_.”

Despite himself, Eggs quickly elbowed him as hard as possible. It was worth them both stumbling and nearly tripping when the man groaned in pain.

“Make another one of those puns, and I'll remove your spine with a straw.”

 


	4. Daddy's Little Monsters

Warnings: pedophilia, violence, death, mentions of suicide

_   **Points to the first warning with ten neon signs** _

Xxxxxx

  Eggs felt like something had died in his mouth when he began waking up the next morning; there was a taste lingering on his tongue that made his stomach lurch. It didn't help that he knew instantly he wasn't in his own bed. The sheets were too soft, the bed too firm. Groaning, he opened his eyes slowly, noticing that someone had taken his glasses. Cringing at the light filtering in from the window, he slowly pushed himself up and grabbed his glasses off the nearby end table.

  “You awake already huh? Try to keep it down then, Mike didn't sleep at all last night. Guy's gonna make himself go gray early.”

  He jumped, having missed Jeremy in the doorway. “...I'm at your place?”

  “Don't remember? You asked to come here before passing out again.” Jeremy shrugged, sipping out of a coffee mug. “Come on, we got shit you can eat if you're hungry. Coffee's fresh, I can only imagine what your mouth tastes like since you threw up again last night.”

  He didn't remember that at all...Eggs groaned, rubbing at his eyes. He hissed and jerked his hand away almost immediately. His nose hurt at the brief contact, and moving his arm made his middle screech at him in agony. He heard Jeremy sigh and walk over, offering a hand.

  “It's gonna suck dick, but you're gonna have to suck it up till we get to the kitchen. Nothing I can do here.”

  He nearly fell off the bed as he tried to stand up. He couldn't help but be impressed when Jeremy supported most of his weight, given he was already limping, but they made it to the kitchen fairly easily as Eggs forced himself to breathe through the pain. He glimpsed Mike on the couch, snoring away, before he was put into a chair at a small kitchen table.

  “I got some leftover painkillers from my eye. Probably the only thing that'll help at the moment.” Jeremy said with a shrug.

  Eggs paused, noticing the man hadn't put on his eyepatch yet. He swallowed, trying not to stare. “Thanks...”

  “Don't thank me. I didn't do shit.”

  Even so, he brought over a mug of coffee and put some pills in front of him. Eggs hesitated, not a fan of taking medicine he didn't know the name of or what it did, but the longer he was awake the worse the pain was becoming. He swallowed them down quickly, not caring that the coffee burnt his tongue. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he slumped against the table.

  “I overheard the rust bucket talking about you, you know.” Jeremy suddenly said, good eye staring into his mug. Eggs groaned in response, not sure who that was. “You reminding the vintage models of someone? Usually not a good thing. It nearly got Mike's arm bitten off.”

  “You always know just what to say.” Eggs grumbled.

  He nearly jumped when Jeremy put his coffee down and stared at him. “You remind me of someone too. And you shouldn't.”

  Eggs frowned, confused. “Sorry? Can't really help that, can I?”

  “Don't be too pissed at him, but Mike told me about you. The guy takes things to heart, so of course he's a mess and tells me what you told him. It's a good thing he did too, because after hearing Springtrap going on and on, and then what I've been thinking...” Jeremy trailed off, hands shaking slightly as he played with his glass.

  He gritted his teeth and bristled. “Guy really doesn't know when to just keep his mouth shut does he?”

  Not be pissed? He didn't even wait a day before spilling Eggs' personal business to someone else. Annoyed, he continued drinking and managed to sit back in the chair. The pain was slowly fading away, though he'd be uncomfortable for awhile it seemed.

  “Whoa, you woke up before me?” Mike greeted suddenly, wiping his eyes as he stumbled into the kitchen. “I thought for sure...”

  “Nah, Jeremy and I were discussing a friendly story between coworkers. Glad you were so moved that you had to instant tell someone else.” Eggs sneered at him.

  “Down boy.” Jeremy said offhand.

  Mike sighed. “You can be mad at me, but first how are you feeling? You got sick again once we got you here, and kinda passed out on us...”

  “I feel like I'd rather die every time I move. And taking medicine on an empty stomach was probably a stupid idea...Now get back to the part where I start yelling at you.”

  “You should have some toast then at least, it probably won't make you sick...” Mike mused softly, glancing around the kitchen. “Jeremy we still got any bread left? Or are you still binging on that?”

  “Nah I moved on to eating only cereal.”

  Eggs twitched at being ignored, hands tightening around his mug. “Are you serious...”

  “You didn't buy anymore?? Dammit Jeremy, you're the one who works during normal living hours.” Mike snapped.

  “Yeah, and I'm also crippled. You ain't allowed to yell at the crippled Mike, it's against the law.” Jeremy argued back.

  “I can yell at whoever I want thanks!”

  “You can also go buy your own fucking bread!”

  “Holy shit just fucking kiss already!” Eggs snapped angrily, slamming a hand on the table least he throw his mug across the room. “Are you done now??”

  Mike flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry...uh, what were we talking about?”

  “He's pissed off you told me he's an abuse victim.” Jeremy supplied helpfully, easily dodging when Eggs went to kick him under the table.

  “Jeremy!” Mike yelled.

  “What?! He is! You get abused by shitty people and that means you were a victim. Look at the kid, he's obviously unhinged if he's hanging around a shithole like Circus Baby's.” Jeremy scoffed and pointed at him, making Eggs fight the temptation to smack his hand away. “You nearly got yourself killed last night and you refuse to find a better job. Not the greatest fucking choices you've ever made.”

  “Oh I'm so sorry mom, you're right, I should just give up a four year job and go back to minimum wage.” Eggs argued hotly.

  “See? He gets it.”

  Unable to help himself, Eggs shouted and stood up despite his ribs aching in protest. “You're both fucking insane and I'm leaving. I think I'd rather get molested by Wires Mcgee than keep listening to this bullshit.”

  Mike sighed, stepping into his way. “Hold on, Eggs, we promised we'd help you.”

  “And you're doing a shit job of it. I haven't ever been attacked until you were around, so maybe it's you and your creepy ghost kid affliction that's making them act this way.” Eggs hissed, cringing when his chest began aching again. “Ow..b-besides, if it can mimic voices then I'm fucked no matter what. At least if I'm on my own, it'll be my own fault when it kills me.”

  “Kid got a point there...” Jeremy pointed out as he sipped his coffee.

  “Then neither of us can split up anymore. We need to find this thing and ask what it wants with you. Maybe the others know where it hides away, or maybe they can help us some other way. But you can't ask me to leave you on your own.”

  Eggs glared at him, wanting to keep arguing. But he could only let out a whine and cling to his middle, wincing as he felt Mike grab him. The guard said something he didn't hear and began carrying him into the living room, seating him on the couch.

  “Lay down, let’s take a look…I’m not a doctor but…”

  He pulled up Egg’s shirt. Now able to pay attention, he saw that the area around his ribs were discolored. He cringed slightly. That looked awful. He hissed when he shifted slightly and made a sharp pain jolt down his spine.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to do something about this??” Mike asked again.

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t repeat yourself. Now why the hell are you telling everyone about me?? There’s a reason I don’t make it public knowledge.” Eggs hissed at him.

  Mike frowned. “Well…actually, because it’s a strategy we could use.”

  “Excuse me?” He glared at Mike harder, deciding that if he didn’t like his answer, ribs or no, he was going to break the guard’s nose.

  “Remember how I said the animatronics at my place don’t hurt kids? It’s something that their programmed for.” Mike explained.

  “Problem is, they run off a database.” Jeremy cut in, throwing himself next to Eggs. The jostling around made him groan in pain. “Sorry kid. Anyway, when I started working at Fazfuck’s, I was only sixteen. Against the law, obviously, but I made sure no one found out. Said I was eighteen on the paperwork, so the robots saw an adult. That’s what their processor told them.”

  Eggs frowned, staring between the two. “So…you think if I told them my tragic backstory, they might go easy on me?”

  Jeremy snorted. “It’s a theory is all. You’re too old now, course, but maybe if we changed your paperwork…”

  “You think I can pass off as underage?” Eggs deadpanned.

  “I think you’re a scrawny shit that looks barely seventeen but what do I know?”

  Mike gave his roommate a look. “Mark could easily change your paperwork on the database, but…well, there’s no way we can be sure. Your animatronics are different after all.”

  “We’d need to get in there and look in them.” Jeremy added. “Open them up. Only I can do that shit, but I heard that I’m not welcomed down in your shithole bunker of death.”

  “I’m not letting you attempt to crawl around down there.” Eggs grumbled.

  Jeremy shrugged easily. “Fair enough. Not exactly something I look forward to doing. But if you need my help then I’ll do it.”

  He sighed. There was that whole, putting themselves out of their way thing again…He didn’t understand it. Especially from Jeremy. The man was on the verge of being a potato and he still wanted to help him? He wasn’t going to be responsible for that.

  “Fuck.”

  “What? Are you okay??” Mike asked, looking him over suddenly.

  Eggs sighed. “I missed an episode of my show…”

  The two stared at him a moment. Mike glared, sighing and threw a small pillow at him. “Morons. All of you.”

Xxxxxxx

  _“Welcome back. Your notes from the previous night have been reviewed and looked over by a supervisor.”_

  “At least I’m not in trouble…” Eggs mused as they waited for the elevator to bring them down.

  Mike glared at the HandyUnit. “I really don’t like that thing…you really never see another person at all down here?”

  “I don’t even know what my boss looks like. The only people I ever see are dead. Makes me wonder why the robots don’t go after them for whatever they want, but I guess that means they need me alive. Lucky me.” He grumbled slightly, putting the device away.

  They fell into silence as they waited. Eggs was almost disappointed. Usually he’d get some shitty music, though sometimes it was just silence. He’d been quite taken with the bongos when they played for him; made him feel more relaxed.

  Crawling was something like being dragged through a field of glass. He wasn’t sure how he managed the other night, but doing so now made him wish he’d give in and quit. Breathing hard, Eggs went far slower than usual, movements slow and jerky. He was relieved when Mike didn’t make a comment as he waited.

  “Ow shit…” He groaned, collapsing to the ground.

  “Are you okay??” Mike asked, quickly running over.

  “Peachy. Fuck me…” Eggs hissed and slowly managed to stand up. “If I get attacked tonight I’m definitely not going to make it out of here…”

  He froze when they heard a tip tapping noise. Peering around Mike, he saw a Minireena dancing at his feet, trying to get his attention. Seeing that he was paying attention, it began moving and spelling something out for him then waited expectantly.

  “Over…time? What?” Eggs frowned, confused. “Oh no, I’m not staying down here more than I have to.”

  It frowned at him and moved again. “How do you keep up with that?” Mike grumbled.

  “I don’t care what Ballora overheard. I haven’t gotten anything from my boss. I’m not staying overtime. Now how about you tell me where this wire fuck is and what it wants from me??” He demanded.

  The Minireena tapped at its chin, thinking it over. It then shrugged and pointed at the ceiling. Paranoid, Eggs looked up but didn’t see anything. Nothing moved, it didn’t look any different than usual. Confused, he glanced back at the small animatronic.

  “It’s hiding somewhere in the ceiling?” He guessed.

  It nodded. After a moment, it perked up and danced over, grabbing Egg’s pant leg. It tugged and pointed to Baby’s vent.

  “Baby can tell me?” He asked it and the small robot nodded. “Fine, then I’ll talk to her…But I still have to check up on Ballora and Foxy. Are you going to get into your area?”

  It pouted slightly, looking almost dejected before it danced its way back to the left vent and went back to its own room. Eggs sighed, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache coming. Next to him, Mike was waiting patiently for an explanation.

  “If Baby knows what that thing wants then…I guess we can go ahead with your plan of talking to them.” He said reluctantly.

  “We’ll have to be careful. You’re already hurt, if something tries to separate us…”

  “There’s not much we can do, is there?” Eggs shrugged. “You mentioned that Mark could fix my paperwork, right? We might have to go with that idea…I mean, even if it doesn’t help with these guys being on my ass the whole time, I’d rather not die with people here thinking my real name is Eggs.”

  Mike chuckled. “Do I get to know your real name?”

  “When you see it on my gravestone, yes.”

  Feeling a bit hesitant, Eggs hit Ballora’s light switch. He almost jumped when the large animatronic was standing near the glass, giving a small dip when she heard the light. “We heard you were hurt.”

  Confused, Eggs nodded before remembering she couldn’t see. “Uh, yeah…your wire friend nearly killed me.”

  “We apologize on his behalf then.” Ballora bowed slightly. “We wish you no harm, no more than what we are programmed to. None of us want you to leave.”

  He wanted to be annoyed at that, since he’d continually pointed out that he _wasn’t_ leaving, but a tapping on the opposite glass made him jump. His heart was beating too fast as he motioned for Mike to hit the light. Funtime Foxy stood there, perking up when it saw them.

  “Ballora’s right! We’ve never had someone stick around as long as you have, Eggs.”

  He felt his face get a bit warm. “Uh, well, you guys haven’t exactly made it easy or nothing but…”

  “We will tell him to leave you alone.” Ballora said. Foxy nodded. “He is…aggressive only because he is lonely.”

  Mike opened his mouth but Eggs was quickly to step on his foot. Ignoring his look, Eggs tried to make sure he sounded casual. “I’d appreciate that…I mean, if he’s that lonely he can…I dunno, come see me without using tentacles okay. I don’t appreciate having my ribs broken.”

  “He got broken??”

  Eggs almost jumped when Funtime Freddy appeared next to Ballora, Bonbon waving from his hand. “Uhhh…”

  “That’s horrible! Are you alright Eggs?!” The white bear looked horrified as he pressed against the glass to get a better look at him. “Maybe you should get an engineer to look at you.”

  “Humans don’t use engineers, silly!” Bonbon said.

  “So, uh, what can I do for you guys? It’s not like you to want to sit here and chat with me…” Eggs pointed out.

  “Yeah but we almost lost you! If you got broken, we’d be all alone again.” The small bunny whined.

  Freddy nodded. “Humans like being talked to, don’t they?”

  Mike almost snorted, trying to hide a grin. There was a smug look to him that made Eggs annoyed. It’s not like **he** did anything to bring this about…but even so, he was relieved. Mike and Jeremy’s close relationship with the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear’s was…nice, he guessed. He wouldn’t mind having that with these guys, once he was sure he could trust them.

  “How do I know this isn’t a trick?” He asked them.

  “Why would we trick you? There’s nothing we could really do to you.” Foxy shrugged.

  Still, Eggs was nervous. But hadn’t Mike become friends with the robots simply because Jeremy broke in? Maybe being attacked was just what he needed for this circumstance. He shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, nodding. They seemed excited.

  “Well, I guess…I just need to check in on Baby…” He said, trying not to seem out of his element.

  “There’s no need for that! Baby got sent to the scooper earlier tonight. She’s resting.” Foxy said, pointing to where his HandyUnit was in his back pocket. “Your helper should tell you that when you try to open her vent.”

  “Oh, well…I guess I’m done for the night then…”

  “You won’t stay just a bit longer?” Ballora asked softly. “You do not have to, of course, and you can stay in your side of the glass. But perhaps you’d like to remain here?”

  “This is your chance, Eggs.” Mike whispered to him. “Win them over and bond with them. If things work out, then you won’t have to worry about surviving ever again.”

  That was true…and if these guys really could talk to that wire thing, then he’d be okay. Eggs hesitated, glancing at Mike who motioned for him to go ahead. He sighed. Well…he only had a day or so left with Mike here anyway. If these things were tricking him then it wouldn’t matter.

  “Sure…my ribs are still messed up so if you guys are going to jump me then do it quickly and without jostling me around okay?”

  “You’ll come over here tomorrow right??” Foxy asked, pouting slightly that they were isolated.

  “Uh, sure…why not.”

  “Do you want me to stay here? I don’t think they’d want me coming with you.” Mike said.

  He hesitated again, looking from Mike to the two animatronics. “If anything happens…”

  “I’ll make sure to get you out, don’t worry.” The guard promised.

  Sighing, Eggs crawled through the vent, hissing in pain. He yelped when something grabbed the back of his shirt, Freddy easily hoisting him up and looking him over. Standing between the two, Eggs suddenly felt very small in comparison.

  “Should we get him some super glue? Will that help??” Freddy asked.

  “I doubt human rely on glue to be put back together.” Ballora said softly, head tilting slightly.

  “No, that won’t help else I’d have done it already…” Eggs mumbled.

  He flinched slightly when the bear leaned in close, looking him over. “Have humans always been this small?”

  “I’m not small, okay? I’m still growing is all.” Eggs argued hotly.

  “Do not forget what Baby told us.” Ballora began like he hadn’t spoken. “He was damaged as a child. This could have serious repercussions now that he is of age.”

  “Damaged…? Whoa, hold on, you guys don’t need to be eavesdropping in on my talks with Mike okay?”

  “We did nothing of the sort. Baby did.” Bonbon pointed out as she hopped off Freddy’s hand and leaped on to his shoulder. He glared at her. “And Baby told the Bidybabs, and the Bidybabs told the Minireenas, and they told Ballora. Don’t be such a grumpy gills.”

  He sighed. “Well, don’t make such a big deal out of it okay? And it didn’t damage me.”

  “Sounds like something a damaged person would say.” Freddy pointed out sagely.

  Eggs glared at him. “Why am I hanging out here again…?”

  Course, now he had to wonder what Mike even meant by trying to bond. The room was pitch black, the only light coming from the window that connected to the control module. He already wasn’t the most talkative, compassionate person so that left out any of that crap out. What was he supposed to do??

  _“It seems you are standing in Ballora Gallery for a long time. We must remind you that this is very dangerous, and that Circus Baby’s is not reliable for any injuries you might sustain.”_

  Eggs jumped slightly, sighing as he took out his HandyUnit. “Yeah I got it. How do you even know where I am anyway?”

  “Is this where you get your rudeness?” Bonbon asked curiously.

  “Hardly. I was born with it.” He grumbled, looking around for the glow of a camera. “Is there some kind of tracking device on this?”

  “There is not, or else your fellow humans would have found you when Baby hid you away.” Ballora explained as she shifted. Eggs noticed that she stayed on her tiptoes and wondered how she kept her balance. “We have cameras all over. We are not…trusted to be left alone.”

  “No offense, but can’t really blame them right? It’s just a precaution.”

  “You’ll come back into our rooms tomorrow, won’t you?” Freddy asked suddenly. “If they’re checking up on you, they’ll start watching us.”

  “We would rather wish to avoid that.” Ballora continued. “They know of us, but they do not know the extent of our abilities. We would like to keep it that way.”

  Eggs nodded. “Okay…I’ll get going then. Uh, you guys really want me to…come here with you? Tomorrow?”

  “Of course!” Freddy looked like he was going to slap the man’s back, but stopped when Eggs flinched. “Oh, oops. Sorry. But of course we do!”

  “If someone replaced you cuz you were broken, then things would get boring!” Bonbon added as she began climbing up his head. Eggs scowled as she yanked on his hair. “Baby said you gotta stay with us, or else we’ll be forgotten down here.”

  “Forgotten…?”

  “We are usually sent out every day, but we are left alone at night. Here, when we are repaired. You know this, you are the one that offers our repairs, and yet, we will not get another human once you are gone.” Ballora explained softly.

  “Plus, if you got hurt here, well…” Freddy shuddered slightly, face plates shifting oddly. “I think they’d get rid of us all.”

  Eggs snorted. “Hardly. You guys are what gives them money. I’m utterly replaceable-”

  “You are not.” The ballerina cut him off almost violently. He tensed. “You are far from being so.”

  “Oh I know! We should plan games for the next time you come!” Freddy gushed excitedly, breaking the uneasiness. “Bonbon, let’s go.”

  The bunny whined, having finally placed herself on Eggs’ head. “Aw, I just got here though…Eggs you need a haircut, you have a lot of split ends.”

  “How do you even know what a split end is??” He demanded, reaching up and taking the animatronic off. He’d never touched one before, and was careful not to drop her when she resisted. “Stop it. I gotta get going if you don’t want to be spied on.”

  “Freddy, I’m being manhandled! Help!” Bonbon whined, trying to wiggle out of his hands.

  The bear shook his head, snapping his handless arm into place at her bottom. There was a ‘click’ as she went into place, making her look smugly at Eggs as she was pulled away. “Come on now, we only have a few hours to plan!”

  “You got like, a full twenty!” Eggs argued but the two were already leaving. “Is he always like that?”

  “Of course. Bonbon helps keep his spirits up.” Ballora shifted. “It would be wise to leave now. However, when you come back, I would not recommend entering Baby’s area. It is…dangerous for her to be around humans still.”

  Eggs frowned, nodding. “Uh, okay…noted. I’ll definitely stay behind the glass then.”

  He went to open the vent, but his chest flared up instantly when he tried to bend over. Gasping in pain, he nearly fell into the wall, only for Ballora’s arms to circle around him. He yelped when she picked him up easily, eyes wide. There was a faint ticking noise, like a music box catching, and realized she was laughing at him.

  “Forgive me, I did not expect you to make such noise.”

  “You try being hoisted up like a babydoll and see how _you_ like it okay??” He grumbled, face red. “Put me down would you?”

  She moved effortlessly, barely a creak as only her top half bent. He found his feet touching the ground slowly as she made sure he got purchase on the floor before releasing him. Feeling flustered, Eggs sighed. That was…definitely not something he thought would ever happen to him. He jumped when she kicked a foot out and the vent opened easily.

  “Show off.” He grumbled.

  She began clicking again, a curved arm coming to cover her mouth. The movement was so human he caught himself staring. “Do be careful this time.”

  “Right…uh, see you tomorrow?” He said hesitantly, not sure what to say.

  He slowly began crawling through the vent, half expecting for Ballora to grab him and rip him back out. But nothing happened, and he found himself in the control module without further incident. Mike was sitting there waiting, smiling as he helped Eggs get to his feet.

  “Still in one piece.”

  “Yeah…” Eggs frowned, glancing at the black window. “They…want me to come back. And play with them?”

  Mike looked almost proud. “That’s great, Eggs! Maybe you don’t even need me tomorrow then…And you’d never have to shock them again.”

  “I think you’re more excited about that then the fact that my life isn’t in danger…” The younger man gave him a look, making the guard wince.

  “Of course not…”

  “Uh huh…Anyway, let’s get going. I got my shows to catch up on and I want my damn popcorn.”

  He ignored Mike’s look, slowly inching out towards the elevator. As he waited for the guard to catch up, his HandyUnit vibrated, making him groan. “What now??”

  _“It seems we are experiencing a power malfunction. Since we don’t know when we can have someone come in to look at it, we ask that you use the stairs.”_

  “…We have stairs??” Eggs gaped and looked around.

  _“The stairs are located behind the elevator. Only select personals may use them. However, for the time being, we will allow you to use them.”_

  “I really hope they aren’t too bad, else I might end up staying down here…”

  Mike frowned, looking around the area. “Weird that they’d restrict the stairs though, isn’t it? And if you need help, let me know. I’ll carry you if I have to.”

  “Mike, you’re barely any bigger than I am. You ain’t carrying me anywhere, Muscles.”

  A number set came up on the HandyUnit. Confused, Eggs went into the elevator and punched them into the keypad. He could only stare when the entire back of the elevator came up, revealing a door. He really, really never expected that…today was full of surprises it seemed.

  The pair began scaling the stairs, though Eggs hated that he was much slower than the other. The repeated movements made his chest feel like it was on fire, and he was feeling dizzy. He must’ve been standing there for too long because Mike ended up coming back for him and threw his arm over his shoulders, helping him continue.

  “I bet I could leave your ass in the dust if we did these normally.” He said breathlessly.

  He felt Mike laugh. “I don’t doubt that.”

  It didn’t take too long before they came to a landing and a door. Mike made sure he could stand on his own before opening it, finding it unlocked. Breathing hard, Eggs stumbled through and tried to catch his breath. He wasn’t the most in shape person, but have fucked up ribs certainly didn’t help.

  “…Whoa…”

  Confused, he looked up. They were in a building, the only light coming from a set of huge windows. It looked like it used to be a restaurant, tables and chairs were scattered around and a counter with an old-fashioned register was against a wall. There was old, yellowing paper on the walls and floor, old drawings from kids it looked like. Without thinking, Eggs found himself walking towards an old stage, eyes wide.

  “Where are we?” He heard Mike ask.

  “This is…”

  He could see it so clearly. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie grinning down at him, singing a song for his birthday. His older brother was sitting there next to him, grumpy and jealous, but still pushing him towards the prize corner to get something special. A small hand was in his own as he pulled someone along with him, begging them to help him choose but he couldn’t recall a face or a name or who they were…

  And then…and then he remembered someone grabbing him.

  “Eggs?”

  Someone whispering in his ear that he needed to keep quiet because everything would be fine if he was a good boy.

  “Eggs??”

  He could see someone touching him in ways that made him feel ill, could see a large hand sliding down his hip in a way that was too sensual and, as an adult, made him retch. The implications that were hitting him now, the realization of what that must have been-

  “Eggs!”

  Mike grabbed his shoulders, eyes wide as he stared at him. Eggs realized he was shaking as he stared at the surface of the stage. Breathing hard for a very different reason, he turned and looked towards a pair of double doors, the red paint long since having peeled away and leaving only the hint that the original color. He couldn’t help but take a step towards it but then froze.

  “Mike…”

  His voice sounded foreign to him. It wavered and broke oddly; his chest felt like there was a rattling inside of it as he struggled to breathe. He cringed when Mike was suddenly standing next to him, a hand almost touching his arm.

  “G-get me out of here.”

  The front doors were unlocked as well. Eggs all but ran outside, hands on his knees as he stared at the broken gravel. He heard Mike calling his name again, but he couldn’t begin to focus on that. His mind was reeling. There was no way…that hadn’t been him. And yet, who else would that be? There had been nothing to even suggest something like that had happened to him, but all his records were long gone since he’d ran away from his old family.

  “I…”

  He glanced up at Mike, seeing the man staring at him with wide eyes like he was afraid to set him off. He must look like a mess then…he wanted to laugh. He shouldn’t tell him. Of course not, he needed time to think, to process this. And yet he had no one else. He’d made sure not to have any connections that could turn him in as a run-away, and talking to people was hard enough for him. Mike, Jeremy and Mark were the first people he’d bothered with in years.

  “I’ve been here.” He finally said.

  “This is…Fredbear’s, isn’t it?” Mike whispered softly, still staring at him.

  He nodded. “I guess I used to come here…I remember, I remember them singing to me. I didn’t even know this still existed anymore, and I…”

  How could he even begin to explain it? The words felt wrong and dirty. This wasn’t like explaining his adoptive family was weird and strict about him leaving his room, his brain had supplied a thousand reasons already for why they’d locked him into that small room since he’d left. It was easy to think that the experience was no longer a big deal anymore, but this…

  “Do you want to go to Freddy’s?” Mike asked him.

  “NO!”

  He shot straight up, the idea stricking a cord in him. He’d have to see people, talk to them, and of course Fredbear and Springtrap were _there_. Did they know? He felt sick, a hand running through his hair. He noticed Mike had flinched away, a hand outstretched like he was calming down a wild animal.

  “Do you want me to just…take you home?” He asked instead.

  “I think I…just want to walk.”

  Mike frowned at that. “Eggs, you’re still hurt. You barely made it up the stairs as it is. Let me just take you home and maybe once you’re feeling better you can tell me what happened.”

  He had a point. Eggs numbly walked towards Mike’s car, unable to make eye contact. His skin felt like it was crawling. Briefly he glanced over at the guard but he was paying attention to the road. The thought of telling him reared again; he felt like he was going to explode if he kept it to himself. Maybe he was overreacting and something else had happened in that dark, cold room? Maybe he was remembering it all wrong…

  “What do you remember of Fredbear’s?” Mike asked suddenly.

  “…Just Fredbear and Spring singing to me. My older brother was there, and we went to get something at the prize corner.” He swallowed hard. “I guess I had completely suppressed it all…”

  The guard twitch slightly as his eyes narrowed. “I see…”

  “I’m guessing you know something about the place.” He mumbled.

  “Sorta…more like I know a few people that used to work there. The history.” Mike shrugged. “If you want I can explain some other time. I think now’s not the best time…”

  “Was there someone there that…hurt kids?”

  The car slammed to a stop. Mike’s grip on the steering wheel made his knuckles turn white as he stared stonily ahead of them. He seemed to be struggling with the words, a look of disgust coming over his face. He was beginning to breathe hard himself as he tried to calm down.

  “He was the reason…all of this happened.” Mike all but spat out.

  Eggs nodded briskly. “I see.”

  The guard seemed to collect himself, looking at him closely. “Did…something happen to you there? You must’ve…been lucky since he killed everyone else. He never got caught I mean. Arrested, but I guess they didn’t have enough evidence to convict him.”

  Lucky? The thought made him grit his teeth. “Yeah, real lucky…”

  The scene came to him again. Someone touching him, whispering to him. Eggs tried to clench his eyes shut, tried to get the memory out of his brain, but that only made it seem more real. He could see more now, feel the old tiled floor pressing against his back, the brush of something soft against his arms. His head tilted to look and he caught a glimpse of yellow fur. His chin was grabbed, forcing his head back but he couldn’t see whoever was leaning over him. They were only a silhouette, completely blackened out by the lone overhead lightbulb.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t ready. You’re just now remembering…” Mike said softly.

  Eggs swallowed, knowing it was now or never. He chewed on his lip, glancing from the car floor to Mike and back again. “I…I’m pretty sure that someone at Fredbear’s…”

  The scene invaded his head again, making him grip his hair like he was going to pull it out. His ribs began aching as he began rocking back and forth in his seat. Now when he closed his eyes, he remembered the person leaning forward, gently placing a kiss on his forehead, hushing him before everything went fuzzy.

  “Mike, I think…I think someone molested me…”


	5. Can't help but feel like You belong here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eggs begins dealing with what he's learned and remembering...

Warnings: pedophilia

 

Xxxxxx

  “Don’t touch me.” Was the first thing he could manage to say, instinctively, as he saw Mike move from the corner of his eye.

  He saw Mike freeze up, his hand had been instinctively going to grip his arm supportively. There was, of course, horror and disgust in his eyes, and Eggs’ brain tried to helpfully supply that it wasn’t aimed at _him_ , not really, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He wanted to explain more, maybe if he could tell him what he’d seen they could piece together details (if he even wanted them honestly) but the words died on his tongue.

  “Eggs, I…”

  “Can we just keep going please.” He choked out softly, hands still gripping his hair.

  He saw Mike struggle with something as he finally got the car moving again. They continued driving towards his apartment, Eggs stubbornly looking out the window. Part of him regretted his choice instantly. Things were different now; there was no pretending, no shaking off the memory. Someone else knew now.

  He wanted to jump out of the car as soon as possible when they came to his apartment complex, but thought maybe that’d be rude. So he waited for the vehicle to come to a stop and hesitated, glancing over at Mike.

  “You probably…don’t need to come in tomorrow.”

  Mike stared at him. “Are you sure?? I mean, you can handle the animatronics sure but you’re still hurt. And this…”

  He snorted, though it felt forced. “Right because you hovering over me all night will definitely help. I just…need some time to think is all. Maybe I’m remembering wrong…”

  “You aren’t…the only one.” The guard mumbled softly, glancing at him. “It was never…confirmed, given we were talking to dead children, but…There was always a suspicion about the girl that haunted Chica. I’m sorry Eggs, I wish there was more I could do to help.”

  “What’re you sorry for? You didn’t do it…”

  He got out, slowly making his way to his place. He stopped when the door shut behind him, taking a moment to breathe. In the heat of the moment, he’d forgotten about the pain but now it came crushing back and made him groan and clutch at his chest. He hobbled his way to his couch and sat down slowly, staring at the blank TV screen before him.

  Part of him took solace in not being the only child, if what Mike said was true. Someone else had faced what he was going through…though maybe it wasn’t the same since that girl died almost right after. But then that came with a slew of other thoughts and feelings that made him feel worse; why was he happy to not be the only one? That person was also a _girl_ so what did that even mean for him? How far had that moment even gone??

  He felt sick, but for a different reason than the night before.

  He ended up falling asleep on his couch. Everything ached and was sore when he finally began waking up, eyes blearily taking in the sun setting. He needed to get up and get ready for work, but moving was difficult. Part of him wished he could blame it on nightmares, but he couldn’t remember having any. Sighing, he finally managed to get up and stared at his mostly empty fridge before deciding he wouldn’t be able to eat anything anyway.

  He took a shower, the hot water helping some of the pain. When he was getting dressed, he noticed his phone was blinking with messages. He paused, hoping that Mike hadn’t told Jeremy…this was something too personal. Too new. If he had, well…Mike was definitely getting a broken nose.

  Granted, he wondered why he thought telling the guard at all was a smart thing when the man clearly had trouble keeping his mouth shut, but…well, he’d needed to talk to _someone_.

  Three different people had sent him messages. Mike’s contact of “Loser” was asking how he was feeling and if he needed him, to just call. Eggs considered it, but he could only imagine how happy the Freddy Fazbear team was to have their guard back and decided against it. Jeremy’s contact of “Anger Management” was just saying that he needed to be careful because Mike trusted robots more than he trusted people.

  Someone he didn’t know was asking if his ribs hurt and if they were discolored still; it went on to say if they were, he needed to keep an ice pack on them when possible and to keep going back and forth with a hot shower. He assumed that had to be Mark. Sighing, he decided to add him to his contacts, frowning as he tried to think of a proper name as he got ready to jump on the bus to work.

  “Pun Asshole” was giving him too much credit. Eggs frowned harder. “Mark the Shit” was tempting. “Mark of Shit”…he almost grinned. It was terrible and he liked it. Thoroughly distracted from last night, he updated the contact as he arrived to work and hit the elevator button. He waited to see if the elevator was working again, relieved when it came up and let him on without incident. He couldn’t handle walking through the Fredbear building.

  “Ballora, you there?” He called, hitting the light. His chest ached after the vent and he really just wanted to sit down for awhile.

  The ballerina was on her stage, dancing. “Good evening, Eggs.”

  “Uh, evening…Everything okay over there?” He asked, still feeling off about talking to the animatronics.

  “Everything is fine. Freddy is hoping you will visit him after you check on us all and see Foxy.”

  He nodded, hitting Foxy’s light. He raised an eyebrow, catching the white fox jumping on to the stage. “Hello Foxy.”

  “Hi Eggs! Will you get to come over here tonight?? I mean, after you check on Baby of course…”

  He blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the excitement the animatronic was giving off. Flushing slightly, he nodded, motioning towards the middle vent. “I’ll go see her now…”

  He paused after opening the middle vent, nervous. He hadn’t seen Baby in a few days now, not since being attacked the first time. He had no idea if she was okay with this new set up everyone had together; would she want to talk to him? Or did she want him to just leave her alone? He wasn’t sure, and more than anything, he just really hoped that whatever kept attacking him would…well, not do that.

  “Baby, everything okay?” He called as he hit her lights.

  He wasn’t surprised to not see her. He glanced around, making sure she wasn’t sitting in the shadows at the edge of her room. Like flipping a switch, he felt a cold indifference come over him; it was what had gotten him this far. He pressed the shock button, staring at the window as the room lit up before fading back to the usual darkness. This time, Baby was waiting for him when the lights were turned on.

  “The others are very excited to have time to play with you.” Her voice rang out as she stared at him.

  “I hope they’re prepared to be very bored.” He said.

  Her head tilted slightly as she looked around the room briefly. “Your assistant is not among us. Have we frightened him off?”

  “Nah, he went back to his own life. It’s just me now. I really hope you aren’t going to sic your wire friend on me, since he nearly killed me last time.”

  “You seem off today.” She said suddenly, stepping closer. Eggs had to fight himself to not move back. “Did something bad happen? The others were happy, for the first time in many years…and yet you are not. You seem…sad.”

  He stiffened, unable to look away from her. “I…”

  “Do you not like us?” She asked.

  “No, that’s not it!” He argued, sighing. He ran a hand through his hair, cringing when his chest ached. “I just had something to deal with yesterday is all. I need some time to think it over.”

  She continued staring at him and he held her gaze evenly. “Your assistant didn’t abandon you did he?”

  “No…I told Mike not to come back. It’s nothing like that.”

  “Perhaps the others can help you take it off your mind then. They would be very upset if your attention wasn’t solely on them.” Baby said softly.

  “What do they even want? I mean, it’s not like there’s much down here to do right?” Eggs asked.

  The large animatronic gave him a look. “I doubt it’s what they want to do, Eggs, but rather having something to put their focus on. If they have your return in mind each night, it makes the days less…painful.”

  He frowned. That was…rather nerve wrecking. “Well what do they like then?”

  “Playing games.” Well that was unhelpful. “Foxy is quite the fan of Hide and Seek. Bonbon likes playing Red Light and Freddy always listens to her. Ballora’s design makes playing games hard, so she usually just dances.”

  Well that sucked…he was the worse dancer. Maybe he could just make her laugh then. He sighed, nodding as he got ready to crawl through the vents again but paused. “And you?”

  Baby’s head tilted. “I perform.”

  “Okay sure but there’s gotta be other stuff you like to do right?” He pointed out.

  “I do not play games, Eggs. I perform. It’s what I’m meant to do.” She responded carefully, like she was afraid the wrong answer might upset him.

  He shrugged. “If you insist.”

  He let the light go off, waiting a moment to make sure she didn’t change her mind. He sighed and headed back to the control module. Maybe a text to Mike could help him with that…but he was getting ahead of himself. He still had no idea if these robots were trying to lure him into a false sense of security before…well, whatever it is they wanted from him in the first place.

  He was breathing hard as he stared at Foxy’s vent. The last time he’d gotten caught, he ended up in some kind of weird suit that nearly impaled him. The animatronic said there was nothing they could do to him, but he knew they were lying or just…a bit selective with their memories. Course, if they ended up ripping him apart now…what did he even lose? He wouldn’t have to face his new memories, and it just meant he wouldn’t have to keep struggling down here.

  He wasn’t leaving anything behind…

  He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, careful of his still painful nose. He had to stop that. If these guys were nearly as perceptive as Baby then they’d catch on quickly that something was wrong and he couldn’t have that. He shook it off before crawling through slowly, picking up the weird flash beacon they left for him.

  “Foxy?” He called.

  He heard shuffling before a gasp. “Eggs! You came.”

  He stood very still as he listened to their footsteps. “Yeah I’m here. Aren’t there any lights in this place? Can’t see a thing.”

  Foxy laughed and Eggs could feel them standing next to him. “They have lights somewhere but I’m not allowed to touch them. I think it’s to help you when you’re here.”

  That was oddly nice of his unnamed bosses. Especially since HandyUnit seemed to try to get him killed more often than not. “Well what should we do? I mean…”

  He jumped when the animatronic grabbed his hand and began pulling him further into the dark. “I can show you around first! You’ve never been around here. Step here.”

  It was disorientating. He could tell where the entrance was, given the small hint of light that came from the vent but other than that, it was pitch black. He stopped when Foxy did and hesitantly lifted his foot. A step. He took each one as Foxy called them out before he was up…somewhere.

  “This is my stage! You can use your light if you want, I won’t look.”

  Curious, he did so, getting a briefly flash of light. He knew what the stage looked like, but was surprised to find the decorations weren’t just lights but reflective surfaces. Guess that made sense since the room went completely dark when he turned the main lights off in his main room…He noticed Foxy had covered their eyes and frowned.

  “Does the light hurt?”

  He heard them creaking. “Yes. My optics are sensitive to light and movement, so the sudden bursts make them go white and I can’t see.”

  He cringed slightly. That…wasn’t good. “Well, then I won’t use it without a warning. Unless you give me reason to need to blind you.”

  “Promise? I was told it won’t matter unless you promise.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I promise.”

  “Great! Oh, but you’re moving weird. Are you okay Eggs?”

  Moving weird? He frowned, not sure what Foxy was talking about. “What-”

  “You’re holding yourself weird. Mostly your arms. Are you still hurt?” Foxy prodded at his arm and he jumped.

  “Ow, I am okay?? My ribs aren’t going to heal up in a day just because I want them to.” He hissed, trying to bat their hand away.

  “Oh I see…perhaps there is something we can do?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Not really much you can do. It’ll heal on its own I just have to be careful with moving around too much.”

  “Does that mean you shouldn’t be using the vents?” Foxy made a noise as it seemed to think. “There’s ways between the rooms without the vents. The people from the daytime use them.”

  “I figured but I don’t have a key for that.” Eggs shrugged. “Besides I’m fine. I can’t have them accusing me of anything or else they’ll cut more from my paycheck.”

  He yelped when Foxy grabbed him, eyes wide in the dark as he was hoisted up on their shoulders. He probably ended up yanking too hard on their ears, trying to make sure he didn’t fall backwards in the dark, but it didn’t seem to bother them too much.

  “Wha-You need to give me a warning! I can’t see in here!”

  “I never hear Ballora complaining.” The fox answered as they began walking somewhere.

  “Foxy I mean it, I need to be able to find my way back okay??” He snapped, trying to keep the dim light in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t help panicking slightly. “Put me down.”

  “What’s wrong Eggs?? Are you okay?”

  He pulled away and the animatronic finally released him. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain before he put a hand on his chest like it would help his heart. He gritted his teeth when he realized his hands were shaking.

  “The last time you got near me, you knocked me out and put me into a death suit!” He snapped, struggling to pulling himself to his feet. “You aren’t carrying me off somewhere when I can’t see a damn thing!”

  There was a pause. Eggs huffed and began slowly heading for the vent light. Robots and their ridiculous, stupid ideas. Why did he even think coming here would be smart? He was blaming Mike and his insistence on ‘bonding’. He was going to yell at that loser as soon as he was on the surface.

  “You don’t like being touched?”

  He froze, glaring at nothing. “I don’t like being forced somewhere.”

  “That’s not what caused your heart to begin racing. It’s been elevating since I grabbed your hand Eggs.” He felt the animatronic prod his shoulder and had to bite back the urge to smack it. “It’s fine, a flaw you hadn’t realized yourself. Children often don’t like being touched without expressed permission, we are programmed to remember them all. I will refrain from doing so again.”

  He sighed. How did Foxy even know that shit about his heart? Then again, it had large ears…That was weird either way though. “I’m not exactly very good at handling…things. Talking, being polite…”

  “I guess I was a bit overzealous…” Foxy mumbled reluctantly.

  “Besides, I have to kinda be careful with my time here. I still need to see Freddy, and I can’t be in there too long or else management begins asking questions. Ballora said you guys were avoiding that.” He pointed out.

  He heard Foxy shifting slightly. “Maybe you should take days with us each then?”

  “What, like a schedule?” Eggs raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a little weird?”

  “Eggs, we’re not exactly the most normalized creations are we?” Foxy asked him sarcastically, and it was the first time he’d heard them talk like that. He couldn’t stop a laugh. “Having someone to ourselves is just as new to us…But now I admit, I’m determined to find a way to get to the others with you. I don’t like being here by myself.”

  He frowned. “I can’t do much about that, I’m afraid.”

  “You shouldn’t keep Freddy waiting though, or Bonbon. I’ll have the lights on next time.” The animatronic promised solemnly.

  Eggs sighed, hesitating. The light from the vent made Foxy’s eyes reflective, so he could still they were watching. Wanting to roll his eyes, he reached out and patted their snout, like he’d seen Mike do before, and was embarrassed when it seemed to perk them up slightly.

  “See you tomorrow.” He said and headed into his main room.

  It felt weird to just crawl into Ballora’s room without stopping to listen for her. It felt even more weird that when he heard her close, he knew he didn’t need to stop. She twirled next to him and kept pace with him as he headed towards the Breaker Room.

  “I heard what happened.” Ballora said.

  “I seriously doubt that, but okay. You have your spying ways.” Eggs mumbled.

  She stepped into his way and he finally stopped walking. “We have our ways, Eggs. It will be remembered that we are not to touch first, rather wait for your permission. A mistake like that will not be repeated.”

  “I’m not scared of being touched!” He snapped. “I’m not some _abuse_ victim that can’t handle the real world okay?? Something that stupid doesn’t bother me!”

  Ballora stared at him in a way that made him feel transparent; and she didn’t even need eyes. “This is not simply about Foxy.”

  He tried to sidestep her, and was surprised when she let him. “You guys keep forgetting that you’ve nearly killed me before. I don’t care if that’s how your programmed, and I don’t care whether you can control it or not. If I had any shred of sense I would quit and leave and pretend I never heard of any of you.”

  “Does lashing out make you feel better?” She asked softly. “If so, I would ask you do it now. Freddy is far more sensitive than I, and your words would damage him deeply.”

  He slammed the door behind him.

Xxxxxx

  “Hurry Eggs, and I bet we can sneak by them all!”

  He sighed, wanting to drop the small bunny off in a wastebin. “Bonbon, get out of my pocket and get back to your room.”

  “Aww! Come on, I bet if I came home with you, I could help! I made pretty good cupcakes.”

  He pulled her out of his pocket, snorting as he put her near the vent. “I don’t doubt that for a second, but I think the company would do worse than fire me if you went missing. Maybe some other time we can make something together okay?”

  The bunny robot sighed, like he was being unreasonable. “I guess…”

  “I’ll be back tomorrow anyway. And you know you have to look after Freddy. Can’t imagine him looking after kids by himself.”

  Eggs sighed as she hopped away…somehow. He still was confused how she moved around so quickly with no feet. He was exhausted though, and he just wanted to go home. He tried not to let his annoyance show through as Freddy all but rushed him at the door, wanting to show him around the Breaker Room properly. Which was difficult since it was no less dark in there than usual, and was covered in wires and plugs. He was too happy to be heading home.

  He paused at the elevator though. Perhaps…looking through Fredbear’s…? No, he tried to crush the thought immediately. He didn’t want to see any more of that place than he had to. But it lingered as he glanced at the keypad, wondering if perhaps…exploring might help. Maybe seeing the place on his own, knowing what to expect, would give him some answers.

  He’d likely never find out who’d hurt him. The thought was obvious but when he realized it, he had to stop a moment to breathe. Remembering did nothing but make him feel wrong. It wouldn’t mean getting revenge or justice. It just made him realize he was more fucked up than he’d thought.

  He punched in the number and began walking up the stairs. He waited for HandyUnit to yell at him about being in an area he wasn’t authorized but nothing came. He found himself able to scale the stairs better than the previous night even if it still hurt. He came to the landing rather quickly and stepped inside the old restaurant again, pausing to look around to make sure he was actually alone.

  He first wandered over to where there were drawings on the wall, some having fallen. They were curling in on themselves from age, and crayon had since flaked off some parts. They were covered in dust and filth. Oddly sure of himself, Eggs reached out and wiped off the grime from one, closest to the corner. It showed his old drawing of Spring Bonnie and Fredbear on stage. He remembered after that day, his dad had told him he could take home whatever toy he wanted. It must’ve still been his birthday that day…

  He skirted around the old doors and went to the stage. He could see the holes in wood that had attached the animatronics to where they’d stand. He remembered the pair dwarfing him, like giants, but then realized that the pair were still pretty big when he remembered them at Freddy’s.

  He knew he couldn’t keep ignoring the sealed off area though, and he finally turned to look at it again. The red doors made him feel cold just staring at them. Maybe facing this alone hadn’t been the smartest idea, he mused to himself, but still let a hand rest against the old wood. Swallowing, he pressed against the door and was surprised when it gave way easily despite the rust on the hinges.

  Shelves were attached to the walls, and he was surprised to see things had gotten left behind. Screws, wires, a table. He tried to glance over it all quickly, but his eyes were drawn to the far corner. He knew instantly where to look to find a small, protruding hook that used to keep the extra suits hanging up. He reached out, giving it a yank, but it remained firmly in the wall.

  _He’d been in the middle of hanging the suit up, but missed the hook. Spring Bonnie fell to the ground in a heap that was odd for him, he always took care of Spring Bonnie, but his eyes were focused solely on him-_

Eggs flinched away from the hook. This room….this corner…

  He kicked the wall in a burst of rage he wasn’t used to. He hated that man! He didn’t care he’d never know who it was, he didn’t care that he couldn’t do anything against him. More than anything he just wanted to know _why_. Why him? Why children? Why that day??

  He stomped his way out of the restaurant, beelining for the bus stop when it occurred to him…Mike knew. He stopped in place, frowning. Mike knew the guy who killed the kids, that had apparently molested one of his victims. He could ask for a name, could look into him. Maybe it wouldn’t help, but having a name and a face…

  He chewed on his lip. Maybe the timing was wrong. Maybe he needed time to adjust to the thought of what had happened before he went chasing after ghosts. But he couldn’t help but map out what stop he needed to get to Fazbear’s instead and found himself getting off a block down the road. He was still trying to convince himself to wait a few days when he knocked on the front doors to the pizzeria.

  “You could’ve called ahead you know.” Jeremy greeted him.

  The thought hadn’t even occurred to him. “Oh right…do I gotta make an appointment?”

  Jeremy smirked and let him in. “You going to make us all attached if you keep visiting.”

  He was going to answer but was distracted by seeing Mark sitting on the floor with Mike and the whole crew of animatronics. He froze. Were they playing cards?? He needed a moment for his brain to process that as he watched Foxy curse about Chica cheating, only for the yellow bird to snap that Springtrap kept sneaking cards anyway.

  “Eggs, what’re you doing here?” Mike asked, looking surprised.

  “At least he doesn’t need to be carried this time.” Bonnie supplied helpfully and Eggs glared at him.

  “I had something to talk to you about.” He shrugged, trying to remain calm. “It can wait though. I’d hate to get in the way of….this….”

  Mark chuckled. “Nah, we need to restart anyway. The second Jeremy got up, Springtrap took all his cards.”

  “Wha-You mother fucker!”

  The gold bunny huffed, pulling out a card from behind his ears. “Mark is a tattletale.”

  Seeing them all cleaning up, Mike stood up and motioned for Eggs to follow. Reluctantly, he did so. He’d never seen this part of the restaurant. They went down a hallway and into a small cramped room. He paused, jumping when the doors came down and shut them in.

  “Everything okay?” Mike asked him almost immediately.

  “You know who did it. I wanted a name.”

  He saw Mike pause, staring at him. Something flickered over his expression. “Eggs are you sure…?”

  “I’m sure. He’s long dead, right? Not like I can hunt him down or something. I just…wanted a name. A face.” He explained softly, shrugging.

  “You know that’ll only make it worse right?”

  “Yes, because what I’m going through now is fantastic.” He snapped. “You can’t keep this from me, Mike. I deserve to know.”

  Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair and taking off his hat. His hand went to a medium sized box, and Eggs was about to nudge him to get him to start talking when the box shook. They both froze, staring at it. He noticed that Mike then stared at him hard, like he’d never seen him before.

  “What’s in that?” He asked.

  “Something…deactivated.” Mike was still staring at him but then sighed again. “He’s…we try to avoid talking about him obviously. Too many ghosts lurking in the walls. Fredbear still is possessed and we can’t even begin to understand how to get them to move on.”

  Good to know. He’d definitely avoid the large animatronic then. “Okay…”

  “He went by fake name for awhile. I guess all his files would be under Vincent.” Mike rubbed at his eyes. “But apparently his real name was William.”

  “I see…” Well that made looking him up a bit more difficult.

  “Jeremy used to work with him.” Mike went on and Eggs stared at him in surprise. “He also got killed in the Spring suit, which…is why we call him Springtrap. Long story short, he came here to get back at us and the company but we got him to move along.”

  “His ghost was…here…?”

  Mike nodded. “Nearly took over Jeremy. It still bothers him, but there’s not much we can do anymore. I have no idea what being in a child molester’s head would even possibly-”

  He stopped himself, seemingly realizing what he’d said and glanced at Eggs. He looked horrified. It took him a moment to realize why before Eggs just shrugged. The words didn’t really have an impact on him, not yet.

  “Got any pictures?” He asked.

  “Now you’re just going to torture yourself, Eggs.” Mike opened the doors and began leaving. Eggs followed him. “We have one that Mark dug up, but…we’d have to look for it. I’ll try to see if I can’t get it for you if you insist.”

  He nodded. He had a name, maybe he could find a picture before Mike did. That was fine with him. He followed the guard back into the dining room and knew he should probably be getting home. He needed to get some sleep, definitely needed another hot shower for his ribs, and he still hadn’t caught up on his shows.

  “You crying to Mike about how you love your robot friends now and how thankful you are he helped you?” Jeremy teased.

  “Hardly. Bonbon keeps trying to sneak out in my pockets and Foxy tried to haul me off earlier in the dark. Last time that happened I found myself in a springlock suit.” He grumbled.

  “Those hurt.” Springtrap added helpfully. Both humans rolled their eyes.

  “Still, you need to be careful. Mike gives robots too much leeway. If you think those fucks are up to something…” Jeremy rubbed the circular scars on his head. “Well, chances are they’re about to try biting your head off.”

  “Like we could all do that. Your big head couldn’t fit.” Chica argued.

  Eggs chuckled, seeing the dark look Jeremy gave her. “I know the signs…Been doing this longer than you guys have after all.”

  “And yet you’re still in one shell.” Mark pointed out. Eggs instantly elbowed him again, making him wheeze. “Owww….”

  “I should get going…I got what I wanted.”

  He wondered about asking Jeremy about the guy, but then remembered what Mike said about it still bothering him. Having someone that killed kids trapped inside your head…he wondered if he could stomach it. And seeing the relaxed mood, as Mark whined to Mike about his ‘violence’ and the way Jeremy seemed to be at ease, he didn’t want to ruin it. His questions could wait.

  “Aw, you aren’t going to stay?” Springtrap whined suddenly. “You can take Jeremy’s place, he just complains about losing.”

  “Because you’re a fucking cheater!”

  “Besides, I bet we’re way more fun than what you’d go do.” The bunny went on.

  Eggs rolled his eyes and went to be an asshole like he usually did. “Don’t be a silly rabbit.”

  That was definitely not what he planned on saying.

  He froze, confused, only to notice that Springtrap had frozen in the same instant. The huge animatronic stared at him, something like realization washing over his face. Still feeling lost, Eggs wasn’t sure if he should try to smooth it over or not since he noticed Jeremy was inching slower.

  “Bunny, not a rabbit.” Springtrap finally said, and his face split into a huge grin. “Alex!”

  He gaped, yelping when he was hugged. “Whoa, calm down! You’re going to crush me!”

  “I missed you! You never came back after the accident and I thought maybe you’d moved!” Springtrap’s grip lessened slightly but he didn’t put him down. “Fredbear! Did you know??”

  Eggs shook his head, feeling dizzy from the movement, as Fredbear appeared next to them. He swore he hadn’t been there a second ago. **“Oh? Surely this can’t be Alex. He was far kinder.”**

  He flushed, glaring at the gold bear and aware of the many people staring at him. “Put me down Spring!”

  “My favorite little human came back after all this time! Mark, look!”

  Eggs snarled when he was carried over to the man. “Spring I swear I will have you scrapped now put me down!”

  He was finally released, legs shaking slightly. Glaring, Eggs dusted himself off before he paused. “I…remember you?”

  **“You had forgotten us?”** Fredbear asked, looking almost offended.

  He noticed Mike was staring at him. Likely since the two animatronics were linked to his experience at Fredbear’s. He was careful not to let it show how upset he was though; he didn’t need Mike thinking he was fragile or something. He could handle himself.

  “I just…I guess I forgot a lot of stuff from when I was little. I only recently remembered the old restaurant.” He explained slowly, not wanting to think about why he’d really forgotten. “I didn’t even really put it together that you guys were…you.”

  Fredbear and Springtrap suddenly shared a look, but before he could ask, the bunny grabbed his hand and pulled him forward back into the restaurant. “We’re glad you do remember then! Things weren’t the same once you were gone.”

  “I thought for sure your name was going to turn out to be Poultry or something as equally stupid.” Jeremy suddenly said, looking oddly disappointed.

  “It doesn’t matter cuz it’s still Eggs to all you losers.” He replied almost immediately.

  Mark raised an eyebrow. “You want us to keep calling you that? Why??”

  “Because I do. Now I need to get home before I miss the last bus of the night. Spring, stop pulling on me, I’ll try to come back another night.” He grumbled.

  He finally managed to escape and all but ran for the door before anyone else could say anything. His hands were shaking again. He didn’t stop until he came to the bus stop, taking a deep breath. Of course Spring remembered him…the bunny had been his favorite back in the day. But, after….the room, he recalled not wanting to be around it nearly as much.

  He bit his lip, trying to steady his breathing. William…the name didn’t bring anything to mind, but why would it? He was so small at the time. He remembered a face behind the Spring Bonnie suit, grinning and talking, but…they didn’t have any impact on him as he tried to focus on them. Fleeting, odd memories were slowly coming to mind the longer he lingered. Spring Bonnie sneaking him extra tokens when no one was looking, Fredbear turning on and he being the only person around, of a man in a purple uniform calling his name and…

  His head began hurting.

  He groaned, wishing he could stop thinking about it all. His brain hurt, his chest hurt, and he still had a sick, grimy feeling to his skin that he knew wasn’t from needing a shower. In the past four years, he’d grown attached to being Eggs Benedict; someone that didn’t have disappointing parents and was strong enough to live on his own. Alex hadn’t been. He’d been a small, scared child that ran away.

  But all of that sounded stupid and like an excuse. He couldn’t even try to explain that to someone else. He sighed, getting on the bus and began heading home. He got his popcorn in the microwave and jumped into the shower again, more than ready to sit down and watch some TV to get his mind off things.

  He’d find out who this William guy was. Maybe then he’d be able to focus on something other than the disgusting feeling of being touched by something that wasn’t there…like the animatronics that were already driving him nuts.

  He sighed, taking a moment to check on his ribs and reluctantly put some ice on them as he finally watched his show. But even as he watched it, his mind wandered. He’d need to plan some things out for tomorrow. If Foxy couldn’t get the lights on then he knew he needed to bring a flashlight. And maybe something for Ballora since he’d left her on bad terms…Freddy and Bonbon seemed fine, since they were together, but then there was also Baby.

  He paused, glancing at his closet. It was full of jackets and scarves and such that he didn’t need at the moment. And he knew he had old boxes from some of the things he’d grabbed from the family he’d ran from. He stopped his show, realizing he had no idea what’d happened anymore, and began pulling out the old, worn boxes.

  He sighed as he looked at the contents. He pulled out a bunch of old children’s books that his dad had gotten him, telling him he’d need to share with his brother. Their pages were slightly worn and bent but still in good shape otherwise. He set them aside and went to grab some old clothes that he’d used to fit into, some old shoes, and an old backpack. He quickly put everything back except the books. He looked them over again and decided he’d bring them tomorrow.

  Feeling overwhelmed, he decided he’d forgo finishing his show and went into his room. He was exhausted and he knew tomorrow was going to be just as bad. Rubbing his eyes and setting his glasses aside, he quickly curled up in bed and tried to fall asleep.

  Unknown to him, something in the old box shook.


	6. If you hesitate I won't blame you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what all ya think of this special chapter~! :3

Warnings: pedophilia,

 

Xxxxxx

  “What a moron…” Eggs grumbled to himself as he tried to send out a text. “How am I supposed to look this guy up without a last name Mike?”

  The elevator was bringing him down already, and he knew if he wasn’t quick, he’d have to wait to send out a message. Reception sucked underground, and he wasn’t going into Freddy’s area unless HandyUnit told him he had work there today. Asking for William’s last name and if Mark was going to update his paperwork or not, he quickly sent it before sighing and rubbing at his eyes.

  He had slept like shit. He couldn’t remember why, and it was likely better that way, but that just meant he was exhausted. The only plus side of things was his ribs felt better and he could move his arms around with them flaring up. Yawning, he shifted his backpack he’d brought along, its weight unfamiliar and began planning how he’d get it through the vent as he arrived.

  Breathing hard as he pushed his bag though and crawled out of the vent, he hit Ballora’s light and sighed when the Minireena’s waved at him. “Where’s Ballora guys?”

  He watched them move carefully, nudging his bag with his foot to be out of the way. “Scooping Room…damn. She gets sent there a lot lately…”

  What was it Baby had told him his first week? That she never learned? He wasn’t sure what that meant, given that they were animatronics sent out during the day and cleaned up at night. He still had no idea, but he wondered if maybe Ballora didn’t take their treatment down here very well. He sighed.

  “I guess I’ll talk to her tomorrow then…” He let the light go off and hit Foxy’s. “What about you?”

  “Hi Eggs!” Foxy greeted him immediately, standing against the glass. “What did you need to talk to Ballora for?”

  He shrugged. “I was an asshole to her last night is all.”

  “You always are though.” The fox pointed out helpfully.

  “Yeah but more than usual. It’ll wait. I’m going to go check on Baby, so I need you to make sure Bonbon doesn’t try to get out again okay?” He answered back honestly; being short with Ballora, of all of them, left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Foxy gasped. “I get a job?! You can count on me Eggs, I won’t let Bonbon get away.”

  He rolled his eyes and began the painstaking task of shoving his bag through the vent again as he went through. He groaned, realizing he probably should’ve thought ahead. Even if he was healing, pushing a heavy bag didn’t help.

  “What have you brought me tonight Eggs?” Baby asked before he could hit the button.

  “More than you deserve. Ow…” He paused a moment, breathing as he kept a hand on his chest. Once he felt better, he heaved a sigh and stood up straight. “My dad used to buy me books all the time. When I got adopted, they were the only thing I made sure to keep.”

  He opened the bag, and hit the light. Baby stood in front of him, so he showed her one. It was thicker than most, and he remembered it being his favorite. It was a book of different stories, mostly fairy tales, that lead to a story of them all being connected. It used to blow his small mind back when his dad would read it to him, and his brother usually made fun of him for it.

  He noticed Baby was staring at it and raised an eyebrow. “Do you not like stories?”

  “No, I was…remembering.” She looked away, off to the side. “I was never much of a story teller, they had designed Freddy to be so. But I know I liked hearing them. Why did you bring them with you?”

  He faltered slightly, making sure not to meet her eyes. “Uh, well…I hung out with Freddy and Foxy, and I was going to see Ballora but she’s busy. I thought you’d like the books since you’re stuck back here.”

  She was staring at him, but he still refused to look. He had no reason to be embarrassed. She was a robot. But he knew he was being such a loser about this whole thing and he vehemently cursed Mike in his head. If he hadn’t been such a weirdo he never would’ve given a thought to robots being lonely.

  “Will you read me one?” She suddenly asked him softly.

  He blinked, confused. “Uh, me? I’m not much of a-”

  “It’s your favorite, isn’t it?” She cut him off, stepping closer. “I want to hear it from you.”

  Flushing, he sighed and sat against the controls where she couldn’t still see him. Opening the old book, he hesitated, feeling awkward and weird about reading aloud. He hadn’t done so since elementary school. The first few pages came out stilted and he fumbled his words a lot, but as he continued, he got more used to it.

  He got through a few before realizing he had likely spent too much time there. He mentally bookmarked his place and heaved himself up to his feet, putting the book back inside the bag and hiding the bag under the desk, closing the small, rotating door that had once saved his life.

  “I need to get going.” He said.

  There was a moment of no response before Baby finally replied. “Thank you, Eggs.”

  Shrugging uselessly, he double checked that no one could see where his bag was before he headed for the vent. It was only when the motion trigger went off that he paused, wondering how she knew that book in particular had been his favorite.

  In the control module, he was relieved to not see Bonbon anywhere. He checked his pockets just in case though and was about to hit the vent again when his HandyUnit went off.

  _“It seems one of the main overhead lights has gone out. We are updating your clearance level so you may deal with it. Please proceed to Ballora Gallery and head for the previously locked door.”_

  His clearance level? He even had one in the first place?? Eggs frowned, shrugging, before he put it away and pulled out a small flashlight he had bought earlier. He quickly crawled through the vent and had to walk slowly as he looked for the door. He needed a hot shower again…and maybe some ice. Groaning, he turned on the light and began looking around. He found it at the left wall, a black door of metal that was pretty well hidden given the room was always dark.

  He came up to it and his HandyUnit clicked and spewed out a number sequence. He quickly typed it into the nearby keypad and the door slid open. Confused, Eggs quickly went inside and began climbing the stairs that laid ahead; they were spiraled, and steep but he was careful as he continued his way up. He’d hate to fall when no one would find him for hours.

  He came to a landing that had two doors; one was the same black metal and the other was white and wood. He paused, trying both. The white one opened easily and he found himself in some kind of control room. There were monitors, shut off, and chairs and so many computers and buttons. He dared not get near them.

  _“In the back of the room you’ll find the fuse box. This is for the main overhead lights.”_ HandyUnit explained.

  “Since I’ve never been up here before, I assume they aren’t the cheap shit you use downstairs.” He grumbled.

  _“Here at Circus Baby’s, we stride to always offer a full experience, and we never cut corners when it comes to our guests and workers.”_

  “That’s a bunch of horseshit and you know it.” Eggs hissed at it.

  It didn’t reply. Scuffing, he went and began working on the fuse box; it was a simple fix, and he couldn’t help but feel insulted that he was wasting his time on this. He was a technician, he knew how to design and fix up computers and regulators and he could probably do more amazing things that he couldn’t begin to think of, but _this_? He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he finished up.

  “Waste of my time…” He mumbled softly, only to trip over one of the chairs. “Ow! Fuck!”

  He pulled himself up, jumping when he heard a hiss and creak of a door. Confused, Eggs noticed he’d hit a button. Blinking, he got up and saw the black door was now open. He couldn’t help but peek inside, confused when he noticed it was a long hall with a single chair at the end. And sitting on that chair was a small golden plush.

  “Holy shit, is that…?” He couldn’t help but grin as he walked over, picking the small thing up. “I had one of you guys back when I was little…what are you doing back here?”

  He looked it over carefully, remembering there was a trick to its teeth. It was oddly heavy, and not filled with stuffing like he expected. Instead, he felt the vibrations coming from a metal framework inside the small toy, and he jumped when it snapped to attention in his hands, blinking its small, black eyes.

  “Whoa, are you…” He wanted to say alive, but felt silly. “Are you okay?”

  Its head tilted, taking him in. Feeling self-conscious, Eggs carefully loosened his grip in case he was squeezing too hard. “Maybe I shouldn’t have disturbed the area…”

  He put the toy back on the chair, but it stood up on its own. There was a clicking noise, coming from the small bunny, and when Eggs began backing away, it hopped off the chair to follow.

  “Whoa, hey. You have to stay here, I can’t get into trouble for you running off.” He said, trying to be stern when he felt oddly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

  He was quick to close the door behind him, swallowing roughly. He felt oddly guilty leaving it here but if there were this many computers and electronics then someone worked here during the day. He hesitated anyway and quickly headed back down the spiral staircase, not hearing the scampering of tiny feet that began following.

  He paused once he was back in the main area, pulling out the HandyUnit as he put his flashlight away. “Anything else?”

  _“The main overhead lights are now working. We thank you for doing the job we pay you for, and you may now clock out.”_

  He glared at it, rolling his eyes. He got to his knees, ready to crawl through the vent when he heard a too familiar noise. He froze, eyes wide as he silently yelled at himself to do _something_. Finally he looked up, shaking when he saw wires moving above his head.

  “Are you doing to try and kill me again?” He asked as casually as he could manage.

  _“We would never try to kill you. You are too special.”_ It said softly, but remained in the rafter so he couldn’t see what exactly it was. _“Your continued struggles are the only thing that have harmed you. That, and your….assistant.”_

Eggs swallowed, forcing himself up. He didn’t like cowering, especially not to some creepy robot. “Well he’s gone. Just you and me, so you better say what you got to say.”

  He tensed when a wire came down and brushed against his cheek. Without his permission, his eyes squeezed shut and his heart began pounding in his chest. When he didn’t react, the wire pressed more firmly and he realized it was styled like a hand as it gripped his chin and forced his face upward.

  _“Forgive us. You do not like being touched…but we have waited so long, Eggs. And to see you here, bringing us all such happiness…”_

  “I’m definitely not doing that.” He managed.

  The wire hand tightened its grip, edges digging into his skin. _“Why do you lie to us?”_

“I’m not lying. All I’ve done is shock these guys and what? Because we just recently have some kind of shaky truce, they’re magically fixed??” Eggs snorted despite himself. “Don’t kid yourself. And I’m nothing but some everyday technician who happened to be here at the wrong time.”

  There was a moment of silence but it still didn’t let go of him. _“If only we could make you understand how much we want to protect you…”_

  “Why?” He asked it. “All you ever do is sprout crap about needing to talk to me and that you need me, but here we are! Talking like you wanted! And you’re still not telling me anything.”

  Another stretch of silence; Eggs tried not to flinch when the wire grabbing him moved, one rotating in a circle as it tried to sooth him. It was even creepier, and he felt his stomach clenching at the touch.

  _“Oh Eggs, how can we even begin to explain to you…?”_

  His phone vibrated suddenly, making him jump. In a flash, the hand was gone and he watched as the mass of wires disappeared. Staring after it, Eggs gritted his teeth and felt the need to throw his phone across the room. Forcing himself to calm down, he began crawling through the vent and got into the elevator. As it took him up, his phone began blinking with messages from Mike.

  Eggs frowned, eyeing them. He wanted him to come over. Eggs would much rather head home and began his research, but Mike still hadn’t given him a last name. Realizing he had no choice if he wanted his answers, Eggs sighed and got on the bus to town; at least with it being so late he didn’t have to worry about people thinking he was some creep as he headed for Freddy Fazbear’s.

  He knocked on the glass doors, but they opened easily under his hand. Confused, Eggs went inside and locked it behind him with a flip of the latch. Nodding to himself, he headed for the stage where Mike and Jeremy were standing. He paused, noticing they were arguing and hadn’t noticed him yet.

  “-can’t tell him. You don’t understand what this could do.”

  “He has a right to know!” Mike hissed back at him.

  Jeremy glared at him, standing up straight as he glared down at Mike. Eggs had never realized how much taller the Engineer was since he was usually limping around. “You’re going to destroy him, Mike.”

  Eggs finally cleared his throat, but they still didn’t acknowledge him. Mike turned away, rubbing at his eyes as Jeremy stared hard at his back. He wanted to roll his eyes at them.

  “Sorry to interrupt your pissing party, but you never answered any of my messages.” He said.

  “Yeah, uh, thanks for coming over…how’re things going?” Mike asked himself with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  Eggs frowned, but shrugged. “Read Baby some books, then did my actual job. Wire McGee and I had a discussion that didn’t warrant me needing to be carried out so…”

  “That’s great.” Mike said, but it sounded flat.

  Jeremy made a noise. “Kid, enough of this shit. Mike hasn’t told me what all this is about, but let me tell you, finding this asshole and who he is isn’t going to do anything.”

  “He hasn’t told you what happened huh?” Eggs asked, knowing it was true simply from the look on Mike’s face.

  “No he hasn’t. But I know this asshole better than anyone else.” Jeremy spat out. Eggs recalled that the man had tried to possess Jeremy and bit back his comment. “If you’re still fucking alive after he got to you, then you should thank your lucky, shitty stars and keep on not remembering everything. You’re lucky to have it all repressed.”

  Eggs couldn’t help but sneer at that. “You don’t know shit about me.”

  “No I don’t, but I know you’re a smart kid and I want to keep you intact.” Jeremy shot back.

  “There are…details…” Mike cut in softly. Eggs realized he was staring at him oddly and that only pissed him off more. “Eggs, there are…I mean, I just think…”

  “Stop tiptoeing around and tell me who this mother fucker is!” He finally snapped.

  Neither of them answered. He saw Jeremy’s jaw twitching as he gritted his teeth hard enough for him to hear and Mike took in a deep breath. Finally, the guard stepped forward, looking like he was going to grab Eggs’ shoulders but stopped when he flinched away.

  “Eggs…Alex…” Mike started but hesitated when Jeremy limped off to the side angrily. “His name is William Afton.”

  The name hung in the air as Eggs frowned, confused. His brain repeated the name, because something was _there_ , and then it hooked its claws in. Afton…He froze, eyes staring at Mike and then Jeremy. The pair were staring at him in something like pity, but there was a searching look when Jeremy met his eyes.

  “You…mentioned having a brother…” Mike began.

  “You’re a sick fuck and you’re lying.” Eggs hissed at him, pushing him away.

  “You never told us his name right? Caleb was killed-”

  “You could’ve looked that up, he went missing! Why would you even begin joking about this?!” Eggs snapped, covering his ears.

  “He killed him because of what Caleb did your younger brother Shawn, and Shawn-”

  **“My dad wouldn’t do this!”** Eggs yelled and was only met with silence.

  Mike stared at him, hands shaking like he wanted to touch him. Eggs turned away, breathing hard. All at once, his dad’s face came back to him as easily as closing his eyes. He was smiling that weird, crooked smile he always had as he watched him and Caleb when he didn’t have to wear the Bonnie suit. Or the way he’d call his name, wearing his purple uniform, giving him a look because he always knew when he was misbehaving.

  _“Come on, birthday boy.” He said, not noticing he hadn’t hung up the Spring Bonnie suit as it fell behind him. He was too busy watching Alex as he came into the room. “Ya know ya can’t be back here.”_

_“Sorry…” He mumbled shyly._

_He grinned easily, shrugging and reaching around him to close the door. “Nah, your fine. Lemme guess, Caleb was picking on Shawn again?”_

_“Cindy tried to stop him, but he pulled on her hair so now they’re fighting.”_

_He watched him sigh, shaking his head. Even so, he ruffled Alex’s hair. “You’re a good kid, Alex, ya know that? Tell ya what, after cake, you and I will celebrate hm?”_

Eggs didn’t know how he ended up on the floor, staring at nothing, but that’s where he was when he heard Jeremy limp over. He refused to look at either of them, but jumped slightly when Jeremy offered a picture. Confused, he took it and inhaled sharply when his dad and two brothers smiled back at him.

  “He…wouldn’t…” He tried to say but his throat felt constricted.

  “He loved his kids when it suited him.” Jeremy said firmly, not minding the angry look Eggs gave him. “He killed Caleb after the accident with Shawn. And he never once mentioned you.”

  “Jeremy!” Mike hissed when Eggs flinched.

  “Do you know why? Because you weren’t convenient for him. You were a loose end he tossed aside and let someone else deal with, and look what that got you. Some fucked up assholes that decided they didn’t want you around either.”

  Eggs punched him. As hard as he could. Jeremy stumbled back slightly, a hand coming up to where his nose had started bleeding as Mike ran over to look at it. He shrugged him off, staring at Eggs as the younger man found his throat tightening further, hating himself when a sob escaped his mouth. His vision blurred and he wiped at his eyes quickly to stop crying but it didn’t help.

  He jumped when someone touched his back, but the fingers were cold and metal. He looked up, seeing gold through the blur, before he felt himself being picked up and held against Springtrap’s chest. He wanted to argue or struggle, he didn’t need a robot to try and make him feel better, but the bunny was vibrating weird.

  “I didn’t…know.” Spring whispered.

  “It’s not true.” Eggs choked out. “R-right? He wouldn’t…”

  He didn’t respond, and that was answer enough for Eggs. He pushed and was relieved when Springtrap let him pull away. Fredbear stood next to him, silent and angry. Eggs stood there a moment, trying desperately to breathe and swallow it all down.

  He couldn’t stop himself from looking at where Jeremy was watching him still. His single green eye was hard, staring him down. Searching. It clicked in a delayed way that the engineer was trying to see if there was some connection; like Eggs would pulled off a mask and reveal himself to be William or just like him. The thought, twenty minutes ago, would’ve been something he’d be proud of.

  “Think I’m anything like him?” He asked hoarsely.

  Jeremy ignored Mike’s hiss and shrugged. “I mentioned before that you reminded me of someone. Guess that makes perfect fucking sense now.”

  Eggs laughed humorlessly. “Yeah…great.”

  “Eggs, you’re nothing like him.” Mike said. “We all know you’re a good person.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t feel better when that comes from the guy who’s well known for being a bad judge of character.” Eggs paused then, a thought occurring. “How did you even know he was my…?”

  “I tried to look up more things about him, so I could…maybe help you out when you came here for more answers. He made headlines when he adopted you since he was well known for working at Fredbear’s. And we were updating your paper work when it…autocorrected. The computer system had details about you that…” Mike sighed, rubbing his eyes again.

  “Oh good. So even my work knows.” Eggs mumbled dryly.

  Jeremy finally moved as he limped over. He barely glanced at Springtrap when the bunny hissed at him. “You can’t…control who your parents are, kid.”

  “Fuck off.” He spat at him.

  “You have some of his mannerisms. Ones that I thought I’d forgotten…” Jeremy sighed, hand rubbing at his eyepatch. He suddenly looked very tired. “Ones that I had hoped I’d forgotten. But I know you’re a good kid, and you don’t deserve this.”

  Eggs glared at him. “You don’t even know what he did.”

  “No I don’t. Mike’s made it very clear I won’t get it from him, and I shouldn’t bother you about it. That asshole ruined lives like it was his job.” Jeremy mumbled, shrugged.

  Seeing the casual way he could shrug it off, having no idea what Eggs was dealing with, what he’d gone through every night since remembering…it made him see red. Eggs glared at him harder, leaning in close.

  “I don’t deserve it, huh? Don’t deserve what? Finding out that my dad was a serial killer, or the part where he apparently really likes touching kids?” Jeremy jerked back like he’d been burned. “Sorry, I’d hate to get anything on you.”

  The engineer stared at him, green eye searching his face. “He…To you??”

  Springtrap put a hand on his shoulder as Eggs snorted. “Why you so surprised? Thought you knew him better than anyone else.”

  The blond man glanced back at Mike, who set his jaw and looked away. Deciding he didn’t want to deal with Jeremy’s own breakdown as well as his own, Eggs scuffed and turned away, heading for the door. He was stopped by a large metal hand on his wrist, Fredbear releasing him when he had his attention.

  **“Your father cared about you, Alex. It was clear on his face every day he brought you. He did not care that you were adopted and his other children were not. But after the accident with Shawn, he changed.”**

  “I…don’t even remember Shawn.” He admitted softly.

  “You’ve repressed things, Alex. And sometimes…it’s best not to remember.” Springtrap said.

  He nodded and headed for the door again. This time no one stopped him. He quickly left, heading for home as he felt sick. He put his hands in his pockets as he waited on the bus, only to realize he still had the picture Jeremy had given him. Sighing, he stared at it. Even with that stupid Foxy mask on, he could recognize Caleb instantly. And Shawn…

  Eggs frowned. He remembered…bits and pieces as he stared at his face. He usually cried a lot and Caleb would call him a big baby and make fun of him. Shawn was younger, and he seemed to get nervous when they were at Fredbear’s. Eggs never played with him since Caleb took up so much of his attention, liking having a brother more his age and Shawn was usually looked over by…

  He paused, frowning as he thought. There was…someone else. He could hear his dad’s voice in his head, “Things always work better with a woman’s touch” and someone would giggle. It was on the tip of his tongue, started with a….a…

  He jumped when the bus stopped. Blinking, he quickly got off and ran into his apartment. He considered the picture again as he placed it on the countertop. Sighing, he decided to leave it. Maybe it would come to him some other time. Eggs went into his living room but didn’t feel like eating or watching TV, so he made a beeline for his bed, only pausing when he realized the box he’d put away last night was out and tipped over. Frowning, he righted it and decided he must’ve knocked it over without realizing it.

  He went into his room with a shrug, only to freeze. Nestled on his bed was an old, falling apart Fredbear doll. One that he had definitely left in the box. Eggs picked it up carefully, eyeing it closely. This…had been Shawn’s, he realized. He remembered Caleb carried it around but…that must’ve been after the accident. Whatever the accident even was.

  “You haunted?” He asked it dryly. “If you are then pretend you aren’t. I don’t think I could handle that on top of everything else…”

  It didn’t respond. Eggs sighed, putting it on his nightstand as he got himself ready for bed. He laid out on his bed, wanting to just fall asleep but of course that couldn’t happen. Every time he closed his eyes, he found himself back in that small room, curled up in the corner as a figure leaned over him. He still couldn’t make out any details, but now his brain happily reminded him that it was his dad there, touching him in such ways, and he jerked awake of his slight doze feeling ill.

  _“It’s the eyes.” His dad’s voice followed after him in the waking world. “Your eyes are how I knew ya were meant for me.”_

  When Eggs woke up again, it was to knocking. He thought about not answering it; chances were it was Mike and he didn’t feel like putting up with him. But he slowly eased himself to his feet and carefully checked the peephole, surprised when it wasn’t Mike but some delivery guy. He opened the door curiously since he usually didn’t get mail, and he certainly didn’t order anything.

  “Alex Afton?” He cringed slightly before nodding hesitantly. “Package for you. Sign here.”

  He did so, taking the small box from the man. He mumbled something along the lines of ‘thanks’ before heading back inside. He looked the box over. He hadn’t been called by that last name in years…his records were likely still under the latest adoptive family’s and he avoided both just in case someone tried tracking him down.

  He quickly opened it. To his utter confusion a key was nestled inside with a piece of paper. The paper had an address on it and a small note on the bottom. ‘Last remaining heir. Everything’s paid off’. What did that mean?? Swallowing, Eggs decided he wasn’t getting back to sleep anyway and got dressed before heading out.

  The address was far. Near his work, which made him feel weird. But as he walked up and down the road, he realized he was in a decent enough area and finally paused. He had to do a double take; the address was there, and he couldn’t help but stare. A house was sitting there, two stories, and looking ancient. But the lawn was trimmed and it looked like someone cleaned it. Nervously, Eggs knocked on the door but got no response. Hesitating, he used the key sent to him and flinched when it worked.

  He went inside slowly. The carpets were clean, and everything looked…nice, but there was a coat of dust. Eggs didn’t want to get too far in but couldn’t stop himself. Something about the place…he frowned and tried to map this out to where Fredbear’s would be before it hit him.

  This was his old house.

  It had been changed. Updated. He didn’t know where he was going until he opened a door and found a small, pink bedroom. His sister’s room. A broken toy was sitting on the ground, unchanged. His dad had never changed the bedrooms; likely couldn’t force himself to. He went down a short hall and found Shawn’s, with his huge pile of stuffed toys. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and the headless Foxy…he stared at it before looking at the bed. The Fredbear plush was gone, at his own place, but it looked wrong to be empty.

  He went up the stairs and found Caleb’s room. There was a bathroom door connected and he went through it to find old tooth brushes. Ahead of him was another door and with a shaky hand, he opened it. His own room, unchanged since the police had taken him into custody and had him adopted. He walked over to the small bed and sat on it, not caring about the dust clouds that formed. He stared at the small key in his hand and bit his lip when a sob bubbled in his throat.

  Last heir huh? And everything paid off…Someone knew instantly that he was around. And Mike had said Mark updated his paper work, only for it to know things about him…Someone in Circus Baby’s or Fazbear’s had been waiting for him to pop up. He managed to calm down as he wondered who that could be or what they wanted.

  Someone wanted him to have the house. But could he stomach the idea of living here? As much as he wanted to toss the key away and swear he’d never return, he couldn’t. His savings, a large chunk of money that’d been given to him when they couldn’t find William, he’d been using that and relying on it. And a house…well, morally he wanted to have nothing to do with his dad anymore but financially…he knew he couldn’t do that. A house, paid off and well kept, was a hell lot cheaper than an apartment.

  He didn’t need to decide right now. He got up, glancing around his old room before he headed down stairs again. He looked at the kitchen, empty expect for a nice dining table, the living room still had a couch and an older TV. A huge grandfather clock was ticking away. He remembered it well, at one point he’d ran into it when he was busy watching Shawn chase after him.

  But he stopped, staring at the far end door. One he remembered too well as an impassible force; he’d never been allowed pass it. None of them were allowed in dad’s room and none of them dared breaking that rule when seeing his face. Even now, at his age and knowing that his dad was dead and a horrible man, he was nervous to go near the door like he’d show up and demanding to know what Eggs was doing.

  He fought against it though and opened the door. He paused at the door way, taking in the room. It was dark, so he switched on the lights. They came on immediately despite no one using them for years. The bed was large and messy, there was a desk full of papers and books. A book shelf was next to the desk, and there was an open door that showed a bathroom. Eggs walked in, seeing there was a framed picture overturned on the desk. He picked it up, heart racing when he saw a picture he suddenly knew too well.

  He, Caleb, Shawn, their dad and a girl were smiling in the picture. The girl had a birthday hat on. William was in his uniform and he could see from the background they were in Fredbear’s. He wondered if they ever left the place honestly, since most of his memories were of the restaurant. Frowning, he turned the picture around and pulled it from the frame. Just as he thought, there were words on the back. In his dad’s odd scrawl read, ‘Cindy’s 9th birthday’.

  Cindy…his sister. He swallowed, turning it around again and stared at her. Red hair, large green eyes…She looked nothing like any of them and stuck out. He didn’t recall dad ever talking about her, she was barely in his memories that he could remember at the moment. It was like she never existed.

  He put it back on the desk, leaving the frame empty. He glanced around at the papers and books, most of the titles about robotics and machinery; he was tempted to look through them himself. But instead he was drawn to the nightstand next to the bed. Two men were standing together, their bodies covered in the bottom half of the springlock suits. His dad held Spring Bonnie’s head under his arm and the Fredbear wearer was grinning and holding his shoulder.

  He knew this man…Staring at his grinning face, Eggs recalled him wandering around a lot and always telling them jokes. He usually gave Shawn extra candy or leftover prizes. Eggs remembered being jealous, but now knew he was being silly. Dad always snuck him extra stuff, it was only fair Shawn get some attention too…

  Uncle Scott. The name came to him like a bolt of lightning. Uncle Scott and…Aunt Jill. He couldn’t remember much outside of Fredbear’s, never saw him once dad and Caleb disappeared. Had he known what a monster his best friend was? Did he have any idea that he killed children, molested them??

  He put the picture down and decided to leave. He’d wander around, maybe get something to eat since it was too early for him to go to work. He locked the house back up and left it behind, not wanting to think about it anymore. His hands and knees were shaking but he forced himself on. He stopped at a little diner and got a sandwich when his phone vibrated. He scowled when he saw it was from ‘Loser’.

  _‘Chica would like to talk to you, when you have a moment. We’re all here to help.’_

  Help? With what? He rolled his eyes. He told Mike he’d think about it but immediately got another message. This time from Anger Management.

  _‘Sorry. I knew he was scummy but I didn’t think even he’d fallen that far.’_

  Eggs couldn’t help but take offense to that. ‘I’m that far huh?’

  It took a moment for Jeremy to get back to him. _‘Having him in my head changed me. No fukin’ excuse of course, but I’ve been trying to fix it. I don’t think Mike has any idea. But learning about you, a lot of shit comes together.’_

  ‘Like what?’ He answered back; he couldn’t help but be curious now.

  He finished his sandwich and was sipping his coffee before Jeremy replied. _‘He wanted more kids.’_ That made Eggs’ stomach churn immediately. _‘Planned on using me to get them. Having him hiding in my brain, I’d catch myself staring at the crowds of kids when I worked days. Looking back, he had…a type.’_

  He didn’t need to spell it out. Eggs had a feeling if he asked, the type would be dark haired and pale skin. That only made the churning worse. He wanted to toss his phone away but knew he was being ridiculous. When he didn’t reply, Jeremy sent him another text.

  _‘Guess this isn’t really helping you at all huh? Sorry kid. I didn’t mean any of that shit last night. I don’t mean to imply you’re like him. I didn’t want Mike to tell you you were related to a serial killer and I have trouble with my temper. Got out of hand last night.’_

  Eggs snorted to himself. Like he needed to be told that. ‘When I come over next, will you tell me about him?’

  He paid for his food and left the diner as the sunset and it began darkening around him. He didn’t need the bus at least, and walked towards Circus Baby’s. He stopped at the unmarked Fredbear’s, seeing no sign of it being the restaurant that he’d spent most of his life at. It was just an empty building, boarded up and left to rot.

  _‘I’ll do my best kid. Most of the time, I try to forget him.’_

Xxxxxx

 


	7. Suicide Didn't Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all on tumblr are some kind of sorcerers that could see some of the things happening in this chapter a miles away...wow.
> 
> Also I hope this thing is coherent and readable. I'm in a lot of pain as I wrote it and didn't have a beta at the moment <3

Warnings: pedophilia

 

Xxxxxx

  “What the fuck was that?!”

  Jeremy ignored Mike, using his sleeve to wipe at his nose again as he watched Eggs storm out. He wasn’t too concerned when it was still bleeding heavily, he just sighed and limped to a nearby table and pulled out some napkins that he then used to clog his nose. He felt the blood spreading as he tried to think; he glanced back at where the gold assholes were glaring at him and where Mike was still waiting for a response.

  “What?”

  “Don’t you ‘what’ me! Bad enough that telling him was going to ruin his entire world, but you acting like a dick certainly didn’t help!” Mike snapped.

  “…Lost my temper.” He admitted hesitantly.

  **“You accused him of acting like his father.”** Fredbear pointed out.

  “And that he’s unwanted.” Springtrap added irritably.

  Jeremy sighed, sitting down in a chair at the table, feeling dizzy. Despite being angry, Mike came over, looking him over in concern. He tried to shrug him off. He didn’t need or deserve that kind of attention. But the guard was stubborn and forced Jeremy to meet his gaze, hand on his shoulder.

  “We talked about this.”

  Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, about some dead girl that wasn’t…someone I knew and talked to my-fuckin-self. And as far as we knew, it was a one-time thing Mike.”

  He forced himself to his feet, still wiping his nose. Mike sighed. “But the notion was there. William is a child molester, and there’s never…just one…”

  “But his own son??” Jeremy snapped. Springtrap flinched. “He loved this kid, right? I mean, as fucked up as it is, I can **get** why he’d kill Caleb and his shitty group of friends. If someone fucked up that bad, I’d be pissed off too, but…to actually…”

  It made too much sense. Jeremy sighed and then cursed when he realized his nose still was bleeding. That kid could throw a punch for looking so scrawny…He reluctantly took more napkins when Mike offered them, mumbling about probably needing some ice. He began limping off but stopped when Springtrap grabbed his arm.

  “If you talk to him like that again, I will do worse than hurt you.” The bunny promised darkly.

  Jeremy chuckled. “Rusty, I think you’ve done enough to me at this point. Let someone else have a turn.”

  **“He’s the only one left.”** Fredbear mused softly as he forced his arm out of the animatronic’s grip and began stalking off. **“I worry what revealing who he is may cause…”**

  He ignored it as he went into the kitchen, pausing only when he realized Chica was there. Sighing, he went past her and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. He’d need to wash it, since there were blood smears now, but that was something he’d worry about later.

  “We heard what happened.” Chica said softly, turning away from where she was making a pizza. “Well…Freddy did anyway.”

  “Don’t bring it up to him.” He muttered offhand.

  The yellow animatronic glanced to the side, thinking before meeting his eyes again. She looked oddly determined. “Eggs was touched inappropriately by an adult, wasn’t he?”

  “….Yes.”

  “We have…procedures for this. But while I have programs running that suggest calling someone, there are other…things that appear. Not memories, but leftover feelings from the small girl that once was inside me.” Chica explained hesitantly.

  Jeremy twitched at that. “She remembered?”

  Chica nodded. “I tried to get rid of those memories. The children were angry of course, but none of the others could understand what she’d gone through. There was a sense of fear that none of them could understand, an urgency in killing the man who’d done it and protecting other kids.”

  “How much do you remember?” Jeremy asked. It came out a bit too rough and coarse, but Chica seemed to know what he meant. “Eggs is just now dealing with this. He might need someone that could fucking _get_ it without…being human.”

  “So he’s like Mike then…” Chica mused softly, looking oddly relieved. “I could talk to him. While she remembered pieces, I remembered it all…just in case.”

  “I’ll let him know when he won’t fucking rip me apart for talking to him.” Jeremy promised, shrugging.

  “…He’s related to him though, right?” Chica stared down at her pizza. She looked far too human, too expressive, as her fake feathered hands tapped the counter surface nervously. “He seems…nice. But for him to be related to that man…”

  “Your precious ass puppet and mangy fox were too. I don’t see you worry about them.” Jeremy shot.

  Chica glanced at him. “Eggs is human.”

  “I think that’s some level of racism that I can’t even fucking begin to understand.” Jeremy grumbled.

  “We are not one to turn anyone away that needs us.” Freddy suddenly cut in, making Jeremy jump slightly. “Especially when such a tragic thing occurred at our very home. But as the years have progressed, it’s easy to see that humans are the root of our problems.”

  “Can’t disagree with that…” Jeremy shrugged and noticed that he’d finally stopped bleeding.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Fitzgerald. We’ll deal with it if needed, but I understand what the boy means to the others.” Freddy said, staring at him. “Hopefully we will not be needed.”

Xxxxxx

  “RED LIGHT!”

  Eggs cursed as he tried to freeze up only to end up losing his balance. He immediately fell, hissing when his wrist caught him weird on the tiled floor. He rolled his eyes when Bonbon laughed at him, Freddy of course freezing unnaturally. Huffing, he began pulling himself up only for Freddy to grab his arm and help him.

  “Can we please do something else?” He grumbled. “Like…I dunno, I think watching the lights flickering is more entertaining at this point.”

  “Don’t be a sore loser Eggs!” Bonbon quipped at him.

  Freddy tapped his chin, eyeing the small room as he tried to think. “Not much we can really do in here…maybe we can think of something for the next time you’re here! It’s starting to run late.”

  “Especially if you’re going to make up with Ballora for being a brat.” The small bunny added as she hopped over to where they were standing. She pulled at his pantleg until Eggs sighed and picked her up. “Can I come with you over there? I wanna play too.”

  “Your battery isn’t going to last for that if you want to be able to stay awake during the day.” Eggs pointed out.

  She whined, crossing her tiny arms and huffing. Next to him, Freddy shook his head and rolled his eyes. Eggs raised an eyebrow at him; he hadn’t seen Freddy do that before. He was a bad influence on these guys.

  “Come on, Bonbon! Let’s not make Ballora wait on Eggs.” The white bear finally said, offering his handless arm.

  Eggs held the bunny up as she put herself back into place. Once they were back together, Freddy went in for a hug before stopping himself, which Eggs was relieved for. Instead he waved as the technician headed out to Ballora’s Gallery, sighing as he turned on his flashlight. He found Ballora sitting on her stage alone and wandered over; the ballerina’s head tilted towards him when she heard him coming.

  “Good evening, Eggs.” She greeted.

  “Hey. Didn’t see you yesterday.” He said, rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, everything okay?”

  He rolled his eyes at himself. She was a fucking robot, and he was acting like a little bitch. He almost jumped when she stood up, noticing that her legs could bend quite well, but not her arms. He frowned at that; he knew she couldn’t move like the others, but hadn’t realized she was little more than a doll.

  “I am quite fine, Eggs. I understand that you were looking for me yesterday. I’m sorry I was not around.”

  He snorted. “With your weird spying network, you already know what’s up. But still, I’m…sorry, for being short with you.”

  She was staring at him without using her eyes. Eggs was beginning to understand she had other ways of course, ones he couldn’t begin guessing at, but it still put him on edge. “Do you know we are all intertwined with the computer system?”

  “Uh..?” He managed, floored. “Yes?”

  “It is how we understand our duties in the daytime. The moment Foxy is done, I am alerted. If Freddy or Bonbon have issues, I know. If for whatever reason I get switched with Baby’s group I am prepared and know the details of what is required of me.” She paused briefly. “And so, we are all well aware when the computer updates and gives us all knew details about our technician.”

  Eggs paused, confused a moment before remembering what Mike had said. “Oh…”

  “I can now understand why you were distressed.” Ballora explained softly.

  “What even were these ‘details’??” He demanded. “I don’t even know what it says.”

  The tall animatronic paused briefly; he could practically hear the computer in her brain going. “Alex Afton. Birthday is Octorber 7th, bloodtype A-. You survive two brothers and a sister, are the sole heir to Afton Robotics and Circus Baby’s Pizza World, were off the map for a number of years before popping up yesterday after being searched for for-”

  “Whoa whoa whoa!” Eggs interrupted, eyes wide. “What the hell is Afton Robotics??”

  “They are the company that designed us.” Ballora said easily.

  Eggs stared at her, wondering if this was her attempt at being funny. But nothing else happened and he realized she was being serious. “W-what??”

  “Afton Robotics designed us and created Circus Baby’s Pizza World.” She repeated. “With Mr. Afton missing, they were forced to consider his will. He left everything to his children, with the exception of a few pieces. Would you like to know what those were?”

  “Maybe, some other time…” Eggs mumbled, dazed. He ended up sitting on her stage, feeling numb. “This…this is why I got the house…”

  “A house was indeed part of his will.” Ballora nodded.

  He took in a deep breath, holding it. He then released it shakily as he tried to calm himself down. “I got a note saying everything was paid off…what does that even mean?”

  “Mr. Afton is survived with a large amount of wealth. It was put aside when he went missing, and with it, the family home was paid off and all things included such as: utilities, water, trash, electricity-”

  “Okay I get it.” He cut her off as he ran a hand through his hair. “So…that’s all…mine?”

  Ballora nodded. “Of course, there are legalities. There is a buzz going about currently, with the newest head of the company trying to find a time to speak with you. They are discussing with others about buying the company from you.”

  “How do you know that?” He asked, frowning.

  “While I am hooked into the system, there are….others that are keeping an eye on anything that might be worrisome to us.” She explained awkwardly, and Eggs realized she must mean their wire friend. “There have been talk of altering our designs, but they could not until they owned us. They do not. You do.”

  He froze again. “You’re shitting me.”

  She tilted her head. “You know that is quite impossible for me to do, Eggs.”

  He managed to laugh at that, but it died quickly. He…owned the animatronics here? He remembered them being quite vehement about him being important; was this why? But how could they have known when even he didn’t? He rubbed at his eyes, snorting. A few days ago, he couldn’t even afford to go to the hospital. Now he was apparently rather rich.

  “What do they wanna do to you guys?” Eggs asked.

  Ballora paused, faltering slightly. He watched her as she apparently struggled before shaking his head. “Okay don’t tell me then.”

  “It is not the changes that worry us.” She finally confessed, doing her best to shrug. “Was there anything else you’d like to know?”

  Eggs hesitated, opening and closing his mouth for a moment. “…No. I think, that’s all good enough for now.” He stood up, clearing his throat. “Though, uh, I spent time with Freddy and Bonbon, with Foxy, and even managed to read a bit to Baby. But…you know, haven’t really done anything…here?”

  He felt like a little kid asking his older sister to hang out so he could be cool. His face burned slightly, huffing to himself. Maybe Ballora would just beat him up and take his lunch money at this point.

  “There is not much I am able to, Eggs.” She said, making a motion with her arms. Or, tried to since the most she could do was shrug slightly. “I am made for dancing. While there is no shame in it, I find males do not share the enthusiasm to do so when they are your age.”

  “Maybe but they aren’t like me. I happen to be a fucking master of ballet.” He mumbled, thinking.

  She began clicking. Great, he hadn’t even started and she was laughing at him. She began moving slowly, showing him poses and how to then move from each one. Eggs honestly wasn’t expecting this; it felt almost like what he’d heard about learning karate growing up. It was exhausting. He was lagging a bit, some of the forms made his ribs ache with old pain, but he was finally making some less than graceful progress when his HandyUnit went off.

  _“We ask that you keep a careful eye out when you leave, as we are experiencing some difficulties in certain areas of the facility. Please keep a dutiful eye out and we will see you again tomorrow.”_

  “Difficulties? What does that even mean?” He wondered, glancing at Ballora.

  “There was an error in one of the Observatories. Something unlocked the doors.” She paused, and Eggs realized just how quiet it was now that they were paying attention. “If anything were to happen, yell for us.”

  Eggs almost rolled his eyes. “Yes mom.”

  He began walking towards the vent, not minding that she kept pace with him. “Do you know what you’ll tell them if someone asks about selling us?”

  He paused, having completely forgotten about that. “Oh…uh, I dunno. I guess it seems pretty weird…I mean, what were the chances I started working here when it turns out my dad owned the place?”

  “There was no chance.” She answered honestly.

  “What, you think I was destined to come here?” He snorted. “I don’t like that kind of thinking.”

  “Then perhaps you were called. If you had not, you would never have known what happened to your family.” Ballora pointed out softly.

  Eggs frowned at that. “I still don’t though…”

  “But you are much closer to knowing than ever before, are you not?”

  He couldn’t argue that. Most of his life he thought maybe his dad and brother had gotten attacked or mugged or something and never found. Instead, the answers were worse than anything he could’ve imagined but he had them. What had Mike said? He had trouble remembering, having been correctly freaking out at the time.

  Caleb had done something to Shawn that killed him. And dad killed Caleb for it. He sighed; part of him thought maybe not knowing would be better. He rather liked thinking he had a normal, decent family. But he was also a firm believer in knowing the truth no matter how much it hurt. He paused at the vent and glanced at where the ballerina was standing.

  “I’ll be visiting Foxy tomorrow…But, I dunno, they mentioned finding a way to get over on this side. So if they manage, we can…do something…as long as it’s not Red Light Green Light.” He grumbled, glaring in the direction of the Breaker Room.

  “We should manage that. We have…ways.” Ballora mused.

  “Yeah yeah keep being vague and weird.”

  He left her behind, pausing in the control module to pat himself off and stretch slightly; his muscles ached from doing weird movements all night. He headed for the elevator and as he began the ride back up to the surface, a hand went to his pocket. The lone house key was heavy but he couldn’t rid himself of it. Sighing, rubbed at his eyes and thought maybe he should visit Freddy’s; Jeremy was obviously reluctant to talk about William but…he needed to talk to _someone_.

  Not tonight. He bit his lip, frowning as he thought. He should give both himself and Jeremy time to mull it over. Tomorrow he’d go there and talk to Jeremy and Mike and get the full story of what had happened. What William did, what was wrong with him and he’d talk to Chica. And just to ease his mind over the whole thing, he’d stop by somewhere and get himself something nice. He didn’t have a budget to eat out often but maybe he could splurge a little this one time. It wasn’t every week you nearly died and then found out your family had part in a urban legend.

  He stepped on to the street and paused. A car was parked on the road; no big deal, except there was a man leaning against it. Eggs stared at him, wondering if it was worth making a break for it. Before he could make up his mind though, the guy began walking towards him.

  “Alex Afton?” He asked, hands in a very expensive looking coat.

  Eggs sighed. So much for that. “Yeah?”

  The man offered a hand and reluctantly, Eggs shook it. His hands were calloused and rough. “My name’s Henry. I doubt you remember me anymore huh?”

  “Can’t say the name rings a bell, but you clearly know me.”

  “I was your father’s business partner.” Eggs stiffened, eyes wide. “I was there when he took you in. Thought maybe he was pushing himself, already having three small kids…We’ve been trying to find you for a few years you know.”

  “Well you found me.” He mumbled. After talking to Ballora, he had a feeling he knew what this guy was after.

  Henry nodded, staring at his face a little too intently. “I can’t believe after all this time you were here, the whole time. Guess you’re more like your father than we could have imagined.” Eggs had to fight the churning in his stomach. “Our records show that you’ve received the key we sent you. I wanted to meet with you before furthering along the rest of your inheritance.”

  “Yeah, explored the house earlier…Real, uh…real nostalgia trip.” He mumbled softly, mostly to himself.

  The man finally looked away, reaching for something in his pocket. He pulled out an envelope and offered it, Eggs taking it slowly. Henry gave a deep sigh, obviously thinking hard about something as he stared at the sidewalk pavement.

  “What do you think of family, Alex?” He asked suddenly.

  Eggs frowned, running his hands over the paper. It was stiff and expensive. “Usually they’re the ones that let you down the most.”

  Henry gave a sad, empty laugh. “Your father put family above everything else, except maybe his work sometimes. He was there when…” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Losing Shawn and Cindy changed something deep in him you know. He spoke a lot of what he planned for you after that. I think you were a bit of his lifeline at the time but then he was…gone.”

  Eggs gritted his teeth. Plans for him? What, did he want to wipe the blood of Caleb off his hands and use those same hands to- No. He couldn’t think of it. He felt the beginning of his stomach twisting and turning and he felt ill. This man either had no idea what kind of monster he was or he knew and hid it well. Either option made him trust Henry less.

  “With your information that’s been in the system, we’ll be moving your father’s wealth over to you. Shouldn’t be any problems, less the banks get wary and call. We’ll deal with it if that happens. That envelop contains anything William wanted to get through to you. He left a few things, but we sent them when it was clear he wasn’t coming back.” The man explained, turning towards his car.

  “I…own this place, don’t I?” Eggs asked hesitantly, staring at his back.

  He paused at the car door. “A rather large portion of it, yes. We’ll be in touch to discuss business but you’ve had a long night. I’ll let you go over your inheritance in peace.”

  Eggs watched him drive off and looked down at the paper in his hands. He glanced back at where he entered Circus Baby’s briefly before heading towards home. He paused at the door; usually he wanted to just sit in front of his TV and eat a bowl of popcorn but he suddenly felt empty. He had no appetite. He just went to his couch and opened the envelop slowly.

  It was some legal papers, like the house title and title of land. Names of the companies that did the electricity and water for the house. He put them all aside, knowing he’d need to deal with it all later. Then there was the inheritance paper, listing everything that his dad gave away. The house was his. His parts of the company both in Circus Baby’s and Fazbear Entertainment. Names of animatronics that he didn’t even recognize and some he did. Money; more money than Eggs could even begin to think about or imagine.

  His hands were shaking as he stared at it. He couldn’t even pinpoint why he was upset. He put the will down and threw his glasses aside as he rubbed at his eyes. He wouldn’t cry; he’d cried over this man too many times in his youth and he couldn’t do it again know what he was. But the tears came anyway and he furiously wiped them away.

  “What am I supposed to do…” He whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

  He could change things.

  He froze in his spot as he thought. He knew of Freddy’s history; the deaths and disappearances that were entirely caused by his own family. He was too young to even begin to think of the tragedies at the time, but he felt the weight of them all at once. Why had he done it? He suddenly wished he had a chance to see this so-called ghost of his dad just so he could talk to him.

  He ended up sleeping on his couch again. When he woke up, he wished he was surprised to see the old, beat up Fredbear plush sitting on the coffee table next to the papers. He sighed, wiping the sleep from his eyes and having to try to find where his glasses had ended up. He then looked at the plush and decided he didn’t have time to worry about it.

  “Don’t mess up anything.” He said to instead and left the apartment.

  He had a bit of trouble finding the apartment, since he didn’t remember arriving, only leaving. He glanced at his phone briefly to see what time it was; six in the afternoon. He’d woken up early for his usual schedule. He’d regret it later, but if he was desperate enough he could leave work early…if the animatronics would allow that.

  He knocked on what he was sure was the right door. He heard grumbling and shuffling around, cursing when something got knocked over. And then Mike opened the door, looking exhausted. He paused, seemingly needing a moment before he realized who was standing there and he perked up.

  “Eggs, what are you doing here??” He asked, looking immediately concerned.

  He rolled his eyes despite himself. “You got a second?”

  He let himself in before Mike could respond. He heard the guard mumble something under his breath before closing the door behind them. He then shuffled over and poured two mugs of coffee; Eggs had no idea how old it was but didn’t complain as he drank it.

  “What’s up? I mean…” Mike cut himself off. He likely didn’t want to upset him. “You had some things to deal with.”

  Eggs nodded. “Well, when you find out your dad is a serial killer that murdered your brother and his friends, sometimes you need to think things over.”

  Mike flinched like he’d been hit. Which, speaking of, Eggs frowned and remembered that he’d hit Jeremy. The guy deserved it of course but he wasn’t a fan of hitting someone disabled. He sighed and took a few more sips to calm down.

  “I got an inheritance.”

  Mike stiffened, eyes wide. Eggs pretended not to see as he began tracing the rim of his cup as he thought. The thought that struck him in the late night as he passed out; it was so silly and simple and not like him. He liked his privacy, and yet after being locked in a room alone for months and years sometimes privacy was…overrated. And finding people like that understood…

  “There’s a house, grew up in it. Not far from Circus Baby’s and not that far from Freddy’s when I think about it.” He began, trying to seem nonchalant. “Pretty weird to walk in and see your room just as you left it when you were little.”

  Mike frowned. “That would be hard…Are you okay?”

  “You keep asking that and I won’t be.” Eggs grumbled, scowling. “He also left me some money. Well, I’m not one to really keep old stuff and I could have the house cleared out in…three days I think is even pushing it. Maybe another day to move new things in…And I dunno, I just don’t think I can be there on my own, you know?”

  He had begun pacing without realizing it. Mike was just staring at him like he was insane. Maybe he was. He sighed and looked around the apartment.

  “I know you and Jeremy just moved in together not too long ago right?” He asked.

  “Few months now. Just makes it easier, you know, splitting the rent and stuff but-” Mike froze, realization dawning on him. “Whoa, Eggs, are you…suggesting we…?”

  Eggs shrugged. “I don’t want to be there on my own, and while I can certainly afford a new place to stay, it’s…paid off. If I don’t get someone in there with me, I think I’ll have it torn down and never touch it again.”

  “You can’t do that! I mean, sure your dad makes it all a bit…uncomfortable but your siblings lived there too you know.” Mike argued.

  He shrugged again. “Yes, keeping the house we used to live in is definitely helping them in death.”

  “…You want us to move into this house?” Mike asked slowly.

  Eggs wanted to get annoyed; he didn’t need to spell it out did he? But he knew Mike wasn’t trying to get him to admit it out loud as some kind of dominance. He was trying to be kind; the loser never seemed to think of how this crap would benefit him. And as the Head Guard stood there, careful not to touch him, Eggs found that he could…appreciate that for once.

  “Yeah. When’s your lease up?”

  Mike stared a moment before collapsing against the kitchen counter and sighed. “You can’t…expect us to just move in rent free right?”

  “Why not? Circus Baby’s is paying for all that crap.” Eggs said.

  “You really want to be reliant on a shady group with animatronics that have been hunting you until a week ago?” Mike deadpanned.

  Well, that was quite the point. Eggs huffed. “Okay fine, we’ll discuss rent. But if you and Jeremy had a moment, I wanted to run you guys buy it while I hire some people to clear it all out. I want everything in that house burned.”

  Mike had that stupid puppy dog face; apparently the idea of ridding himself of any form of remembrance of his siblings didn’t sit well with Mike. But the guy had a family worth remembering. Eggs had a brother that killed a brother, a sister he didn’t remember and a brother that might’ve been nonexistent with how much he couldn’t recall anything about him. All his memories were of Caleb and William.

  “Don’t you give me some shitty speech about family and bonds.” He snapped suddenly, feeling oddly angry suddenly. “You know what they did for me? They got themselves killed and left me on my own. And I wasn’t important enough for my dad to consider when he ran off to cut up some kids. So fuck them. I want a new start in that house and I want it to have people that don’t make me wanna shoot myself in it.”

  Neither of them said anything for a while. Eggs was trying to breathe and calm down; he was finding himself having more outbursts lately. Maybe this was from everything that was going on? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at Mike and saw the man staring at a picture on the counter near the door. It was an older woman; his mom then. He wanted to roll his eyes.

  “Jeremy and I have Sunday off.” He said softly.

  Eggs nodded, rubbing his arm unconsciously. “You don’t have to. I mean, if its weird.”

  To his surprise, Mike laughed. “I said the same thing to Jeremy when I asked him to move in. Eggs, if you experience anything to do with the Fazbear company, you get…messed up. It’s good for us to stick together. Though…” He paused, thinking. “Do you have room for Mark and Fritz?”

  Two more? Eggs shifted. “Someone…would have to take… _his_ room.”

  The room went silent and cold. He was amazed to see the instant scowl and hate on Mike’s normally friendly face. “We’ll…talk that over while we’re looking it over.”

  “Fine. Then…then I’ll come by tonight. Jeremy wanted me to talk to Chica I guess.” Eggs shrugged uselessly. “I guess he wants me to have some kind of heart to heart with her, but it’s not like I can remember what he did to me.”

  “Eggs,” Mike cut in and he looked uncomfortable. “You shouldn’t…I mean, you know, don’t assume anything. Maybe…”

  “Oh yes, maybe he was molesting me on accident while we discussed how much he loved me.” Eggs sneered and Mike went pale. Clearly the man wasn’t used to discussing thing kind of thing and he sure wasn’t either but part of him liked making everyone uncomfortable with it; they couldn’t even begin to understand what he was going through. “Can we stop talking about it now so I can get going or are you going to dance around calling my dad a pedophile some more?”

  Mike took a deep breath. “I meant that you don’t know how far it went. And while remembering it is difficult and I can’t begin to understand it, not knowing may be…worse.”

  He was leaving something unspoken in the air. Eggs frowned, staring at him hard. Not knowing…it was true. He didn’t know how far that night went. But what did that have to do with him talking to Chica? The robot must remember what happened to that unnamed girl but so what?

  “It is worse.” He finally muttered softly.

  “Let me…take you out to eat and you can tell me how work is going.” Mike suddenly offered, and began walking off down a hallway Eggs barely recognized. “Jeremy can meet us there, he should be done soon. Maybe we can even see the house afterwards, plan out what goes where.”

  He hesitated before ruffling Eggs’ hair. The younger man scowled at him. “Really?”

  “We going to be roommates then you better get used to it. And I know you have the whole, ‘independence’ thing going for you, but really, Alex. Jeremy and I are here if you need to talk to us.” Mike said.

  “You have got to be the sappiest loser I’ve ever met.” Eggs huffed and began heading for the door as the guard changed his shirt. “Hurry up would you? I’m starving.”

  He waited at the door as Mike caught up and they began heading out. The guard guided him to a diner and wasn’t surprised when the waitresses knew him by name. Eggs sighed and followed along obediently.

  “Thanks.” He said suddenly.

  Mike paused as they both sat down in a booth. “For what?”

  Eggs shrugged. “Telling me the truth. Agreeing to come with me. Like you said, people like us should stick together or else we might go insane.”

  “It’s true. Look at Jeremy, Mark and I couldn’t have come at a better time or else we would’ve lost him.” Mike said, only half joking.

  They sat there for a bit in silence, waiting for their food and Mike had insisted on milkshakes for some reason. Jeremy was on his way. Eggs was surprised to find himself content sitting there; his brain had stopped whirling and thinking and analyzing and it was such a _good_ reprieve. He leaned back in the booth and suddenly smirked.

  “You know what else I inherited?”

  Mike looked up, on guard but open to listen. “What?”

  Eggs’ smirk widened. “I’m your boss.”


	8. We all Wanna Leave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out shorter than normal, given a bad case of Writer's Block in getting where I want to go, and IRL shit going on. I hope you still enjoy anyway!

Warnings: pedophilia

 

Xxxxxx

  “You’re absolutely sure about this?”

  Eggs paused, glancing up from his fries he was drenching in ketchup and ranch; Mike had run off to the bathroom, leaving them alone. Jeremy was staring at them in disgust but he met his eyes. He was fiddling with his eye patch, moving it around on his face. He raised an eyebrow when Eggs shoveled the mess into his mouth.

  “About what?” He asked around it.

  Jeremy rolled his single eye and sighed. “You really want two older guys you don’t know that well to move into the house you grew up in with your serial killer dad?”

  “…You have such a way with words.” Eggs mumbled sardonically.

  “Kid, you don’t know us. You don’t know how we act, if Mike is a messy asshole that leaves his goddamn plushies around the house, if I like to use a power drill at 4am at night. Moving in like this, on top of what you’re going through now?” He shrugged and played with the straw in his milkshake. “Just seems like you’re rushing through things is all.”

  “I don’t like the idea of living alone.” He confessed softly. “It was bad enough being stuck in that room for years, but now? Being in my apartment is…difficult. I manage because I have to but if I don’t have to then why should I? A whole house to myself sounds like a nightmare.”

  Jeremy sighed. He took a sip of his milkshake and leaned back into the cushioned seat. “And if this shit doesn’t work out?”

  “Then we’ll figure something else out.”

  The engineer nodded easily at that. Eggs went back to his fries, swallowing down more of the concoction he had made. He saw the other recoil at it and pointedly looked away as he ate. He almost grinned.

  “Sorry, you guys ready? If we wanna get through the house we should get going.” Mike suddenly cut in, standing there.

  They both nodded, Jeremy sipping the last of his shake and Eggs making sure he finished his fries with a last mouthful. He made a face when Mike paid, not liking what he felt was charity; he made a mental note of it for next time. He led the way as the Head Guard drove them. They easily found the house, parking on at the curb. Eggs unlocked the front door and led them both inside, standing aside and letting them both explore.

  He saw Mike’s eyes light up when he looked over Shawn’s old plushies. Eggs rolled his eyes. “You can have them.” He relented, sighing.

  “Really?” Mike perked up, eyeing the headless Foxy. “If I can find his head I think I can fix this…”

  Nearby, Jeremy was eyeing the stairs critically before he slowly tried stepping up on them. Realizing what he was doing, Eggs followed behind him just in case as the man tested the steepness and polish with his prosthetic leg. His leg slipped only once, Jeremy gripping the railing in a death grip and grumbling something when Eggs grabbed his arm at the same time.

  “How bad is it?” He asked him.

  He saw the blond man struggle with an answer, looking annoyed. “Too polished, too smooth. Nothing I can’t handle…”

  Eggs shook his head. “Would carpeting help?”

  The annoyance increased as he gritted his teeth. “They’re fucking _fine_ okay??”

  “I’m having the whole place redone, putting some goddamn carpeting on stairs isn’t going to bankrupt me okay?? Do they help or not?” He snapped at him.

  Jeremy sighed, making it to the top of the stairs. “It would help. But they’re also slanted down. I have to be careful is all.”

  Slanted? Eggs glanced down and noticed they were indeed; he’d slant them the opposite way then and install carpeting. He pulled out his phone and began writing notes down on it. He didn’t want to forget anything when he hired someone to renovate.

  “This place is huge.” Mike said as he came up behind them. “Which one is your room?”

  Eggs led them to it, leaning against the doorway as they entered. He glanced around, taking it in one last time. It seemed oddly barren now that he really looked at it. His toys, furniture, clothes, they were all gone. Confused, he walked inside; it was just his bed and sheets. He turned around in spot, trying to spot _something_.

  He hadn’t noticed it before. Had his dad thrown it all out? But why just his room and not Caleb’s, Shawn’s or even Cindy’s?? He sat on the small bed in a daze. When had he thrown it all out? He had time to clean out his room, but not to find him? Of course Mike was quick to notice, given there wasn’t much to look at in here, and hesitated before touching his shoulder.

  “Eggs, you okay?”

  He nodded, shaking it off. “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “So, not to be an asshole or nothing, but…” Jeremy suddenly cut in, glancing over at them. “But I’m only counting four rooms. Which is great for us three, especially if you don’t mind me taking the basement as a workshop but well…pretty sure Mike was mentioning have Mark and Fritz come with us here.”

  “We have a basement?” Eggs blinked.

  Jeremy gave him a look. “Really kid?”

  He paused, thinking. “We weren’t allowed in certain rooms. Uh, my dad’s room was a big one. His is downstairs, if…you want to see?”

  He saw them both hesitate. Glancing around the small, empty room, Eggs got up and began heading back downstairs, letting them decide if they want to follow or not. He slowed down when he heard Jeremy coming, waiting at the bottom of the stairs in case he slipped again. He walked them through the living room and forced himself through the door before he could stop and think about it.

  “Fuck!”

  Eggs jumped when Jeremy swore, turning back. The engineer clutched at his head, mumbling under his breath as Mike tried to bat his hands away. “Are you okay?”

  “Fuck me, that…stings…!” Jeremy hissed, pulling his hands away.

  He stared at his palms, but Eggs was distracted by the growing bloodstain on his eye patch. He frowned. That had happened before, but Jeremy had said it was nothing. But with the way Mike was examining him, it certainly didn’t seem like nothing.

   “You said it stopped doing that!” Mike snapped at him.

  “Because it did.” Jeremy pulled away from him and elbowed past both of them into the room. “I’m in the fucker’s _room_ this isn’t exactly a pleasure cruise here.”

  Eggs frowned harder. He stared at Jeremy’s face as the man took the master room in, looking over the furniture and books and desk. He was carefully blank about it; a fake calm that he knew too well. Granted Jeremy was awful at schooling his features as he scowled at everything after a moment and  hobbled himself over to the same nightstand that Eggs had examined before.

  “Did you know him?” He asked when Jeremy stared at the picture longer than a second.

  “Yeah. Don’t remember though.”

  Eggs shrugged at that. “I remember calling him Uncle Scott. I used to wonder if he forgot about me, when I was adopted.”

  “He was killed.” Mike explained softly. “Back when the animatronics were hostile.”

  He nodded. He had a feeling that might have been the case. Scott wouldn’t have let him disappear if he could help it. Mike was looking at the desk as Jeremy continued staring at the picture, and deciding he didn’t want to bother either of them, Eggs headed for the bathroom. He eyed it; it was pretty ordinary honestly, if a bit messy. He wondered if he should keep this the master bathroom or just convert it to something else when his foot hit a large screw.

  He paused, glancing at it. It rolled away innocently. He looked at cabinets but none of them seemed to be missing a screw; how odd. Shrugging it off for now, he headed back to where Jeremy was rifling through the dad’s bookcase, making a large pile on the desk as he mumbled to himself. Mike was staring at him in bemusement.

  “Can I help you?” Eggs asked him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Was hoping for some…fucking blueprints or something. Bet it’s in here somewhere…In case any of the assholes break down and I can’t just slap them back together.” Jeremy said.

  Eggs made a face. So much for just burning everything then. “Well, I guess…we could go through his paperwork. I bet there’s stuff in here about Circus Baby’s anyway.”

  “Speaking of, we don’t have to call you Mr. Benedict or fetch you coffee right?” Jeremy smirked at him, barely glancing up from the book he was paging through.

  “That’s Mr. Eggs to you.” He shot back. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “So, is this going to happen or what?”

    Mike shared a look with Jeremy and sighed. “I guess…but we need to discuss rent, when we can move in, moving expenses…”

  “Yeah yeah yeah…” Eggs rolled his eyes. Leave it to Mike to not take advantage of his would-be roommate being loaded. “We’ll go over that shit when you’re living here. And I think…”

  He hesitated. Mike raised an eyebrow at him, frowning as Jeremy threw another textbook on the desk. “That’s a change.”

  “I’m taking this room.” Eggs went on like he hadn’t spoken.

  Both of them froze. “Are you…sure?”

  “It’s the master bedroom and I want the biggest room in my own house.” He said, trying to shrug off their concern.

  “Okay, but it’s still…” Mike paused, struggling with what he wanted to say.

  “He’s dead and he certainly isn’t getting a whole room in _my_ house to himself. And we’re taking all the shit out anyway.”

  Jeremy shrugged. “If you’re sure, then whatever.”

  Mike mumbled about the first floor rooms before leaving. Eggs watched him go, knowing he likely wanted them both on the ground floor given Jeremy’s leg. Actually, now that he thought about it, were there certain qualifications a house needed when its inhabitants had disabilities? Jeremy was partially blind…he’d have to go over that kind of stuff since he doubted Jeremy would tell him.

  “Your eye okay?” He asked instead.

  “Yeah. Fucking thing leaks like that now and then. Doctors aren’t sure why since it’s sealed up, but Rusty once explained it’s…well, some paranormal shit that I can’t begin to wrap my head around. Said things like that act up.” Jeremy paused and glanced around the room. “Probably doesn’t help that all this shit was owned by him.”

  “You keep calling my bunny rabbit ‘Rusty’ and I might make _you_ rusty.” Eggs grumbled, giving him a look.

  “You’re going to be bigger pain in the ass than Mike is aren’t you?”

  Jeremy rolled his eye and headed for the door. Eggs followed after him. They stopped at the entrance to the house, Mike waiting there. Going back home was a waste of time, given he was so nearby to work. He waved off the two guards, promising them to come over that night if possible when Mike asked.

  He watched them go and sighed. Eggs considered the house again, wondering about maybe replacing appliances as well. He made another list and ended up calling a few different companies about coming in to the house and beginning to throw everything out. It ended up taking the whole time until he needed to rush to work, but things were set up for the morning and he was that much closer to getting out of his lonely, small apartment and into a house.

  He could wait a few more days.

Xxxxxx

  “You know what, fuck you guys.”

  Eggs scowled at the lit up Ballora stage, seeing the three large animatronics standing there. Freddy waved despite himself as Foxy at least tried to look sheepish. Sighing, the technician smacked his HandyUnit and waited for some kind of response.

  “I can’t get them back on stage when one of them isn’t even in the right room…” He mumbled as he sent out a memo to his higher ups. “If you guys get me into trouble I swear…”

  “Aww Eggs! We just wanted to all play for once!” Bonbon whined as she crawled in through the vent. “We even found the lights! As long as we turn them off when we’re done it should be okay…”

  _“Uh oh, it seems like Funtime Foxy has escaped from his room! We ask that you proceed with caution as we don’t know where she is hiding.”_

  “That’s all I get?? A be careful?” Eggs sighed and collapsed in the middle of the control module.

  “…Eggs?”

  The small bunny hopped over, prodding at his knee. He barely flinched at the touch as he ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “Sorry, I just…need a minute. Been a long few days…”

  What a dumb thing to set him off too. After Mike and Jeremy had left he tried setting up people to clean up the house and begin renovating it, which was fine, but he’d also tried to look around online about potential explanations about his outbursts and odd mood swings. He didn’t like needing to resort to some half assed searches but he needed _something_.

  It made sense, what he found. Even if he didn’t think of himself as a trauma victim, or a ‘victim’ in general no matter what the others said, he was indeed having…symptoms. And apparently that even came with the added stress or the overwhelmed feelings he’d been experiencing lately. He was only twenty-two, and suddenly he owned a company responsible for ghost kids, more tragedies than he could on his hands, killing his own siblings...and that didn’t count the robots themselves, his job, his new living arrangements, whatever the _fuck_ was going on with that stupid Fredbear doll at home…

  He took another deep breath. He just hadn’t had any time to really run things over in his head. He’d let them bubble and he’d been over analyzing but not taking it in. He sighed, feeling his heart begin to slow down and was increasingly aware of the fact that Bonbon had put herself into his lap and was holding his hand as she rocked back and forth.

  “…what are you doing?” He asked suddenly.

  “I can’t really do it on my own, but this is the cooldown dance. For the kids. Freddy usually has me told their hand and he dances with them until they calm down.” She looked up at him. “See? It worked!”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “Guess so.”

  “Forgive us, Eggs.” He blinked, glancing at the dark window as Ballora’s voice came through. “We did not mean to overwhelm you. We thought we would surprise you.”

  “It’s fine. I just…didn’t expect that coming in.” He picked up the blue bunny as he stood back up. “I need to go check on Baby.”

  “Can I come??” Bonbon asked.

  “I’m not carrying you over there. Just stay here and I’ll be right back.”

  He put her down and headed for the vent. Things were fine now, he told himself. Things were finally getting back on track. Maybe not the way he’d originally planned, but this was…better. He nodded to himself as he pulled himself into the Circus Gallery. He just needed to move into his new house and things would calm down. Having roommates and more rooms would likely help a lot, and now that he didn’t really need to worry about being killed every night…

  “Good evening.” Baby greeted him before he could turn on the lights.

  “Hey. We still good for more reading tomorrow?” He asked as they came on.

  Baby eyed him. “Ballora says that you are trying to find out what happened to your family.”

  “I was. But then I met the guys that handled with killing my dad.” He mumbled as put his hands into his pockets. That wasn’t at all how things had gone down but he wasn’t going to sit here and explain to an animatronic. “They gave me the rundown on everything. I mean, I don’t know the exact details on what happened to my sister or little brother, but I guess they’d have to tell me themselves.”

  He shrugged, about to head out when he noticed Baby had frozen up, staring off to the side. He frowned. “Baby?”

  “Killed him…?”

  He froze when he heard rustling up in the ceiling. It was moving around quickly, erratically. Eggs tensed and began backing up as Baby began twitching. She reached up and clutched at her head, flat fingers making a screeching sound when they dug into her faceplates.

  “Whoa hey, calm down!” Eggs ran up to the window, looking at the buttons in a rush. “W-what is it? Talk to me here.”

  “K-killed him??” Baby began thrashing suddenly, and Eggs had to hit the floor when one of her hands hit the window and it shattered. He hissed and covered his head as glass rained down on him. “K-k-k-killed-”

  The walls and ground shook as she hit them. Eggs cursed and began looking around for something to help him. He couldn’t go through the vents like this. He stayed curled up against the control panel. He jumped when he heard something like screaming coming from the robot but also it seemed to echo from the vents as well.

  “Killed h-h-him?!” Baby screamed as a mess of wires fell from the ceiling and grabbed him by the ankle. _“Who?! WHY?!”_

  Eggs tried to scream, eyes wide as he was picked up but the scream was stuck in his throat. The mess of tangled wires and metal parts was trembling as it yanked him off his feet and let him dangle upside down. It had a face, also a mess of wires, and an eye staring back at him as it opened what Eggs guessed was a mouth with very sharp teeth.

  _“Who killed him?!”_

  “C-calm down!” Eggs forced out, waving his hands in front of his body wildly and was stunned when things seemed to stop. Nothing moved in the small room and he knew if he didn’t explain himself rather quickly, he wouldn’t get another chance. “He, he’s been dead for a while.”

  It screeched horribly as a response but didn’t begin bludgeoning him. Eggs swallowed and glanced around nervously. The room had since fallen dark again, and Baby didn’t move in her room. That was not going to stay so, and he had no idea how to even begin explaining something he himself didn’t know.

  “W-who cares he’s dead?!” He shouted and instantly regretted it.

  _“Who **killed** him?!”_ It snarled and almost threw him across the room. Instead his back hit the control panel and forced the breath from his lungs. _“He is not meant to die! He is meant to stay with Us!”_

  “Yeah and he killed a whole bunch of kids that then got back at him!” Eggs wheezed out, wincing when he felt the metal edges cutting into his skin. “He, he got stuck into…ow, the Spring Bonnie suit. It collapsed on him!”

  He was let go, falling hard on to the broken glass as it sliced his palms. He looked up and saw that the being was shaking again as it fell to what he guessed was its knees. It screeched again and it was echoed by Baby and the others in the control module. Eggs stared in awe and shock.

  “What does it matter…?” He asked it, hating that his own voice broke. “That man…he killed so many people. He ruined their lives. He ruined _my_ life!”

  _“He loves Us.”_ It hissed at him.

  “He doesn’t love anyone but himself! He was a monster! What he did to Caleb and to _me_ …” Eggs sneered, wanting to spit and rage; the large wired form suddenly went still and that’s the only reason he didn’t. “He was a terrible man.”

  _“Caleb…?”_ It eyed him, one of its eyes hanging off by frayed looking wires.

  Eggs shook his head, trying to push himself up to his feet. His palms and back ached and he groaned. “Dad killed him after…after he did something to my youngest brother. And I only found out a few weeks ago, since he never…let me know. I just got carted off to some family to be looked after.”

  The trembling came back as it dug what looked to be fingers into the tiled floor. _“Caleb is gone…? Caleb and Shawn and Daddy?”_

  Eggs froze, heart turning cold. It began clawing at the floor and hugged itself tightly. “What did…?”

  _“We thought Daddy sent Alex back to us. Asked Alex to come find Us and could bring Us home.”_ It whimpered weakly. _“Daddy wouldn’t hurt Caleb. Wouldn’t hurt Us.”_

  He took a nervous step forward. It didn’t react, nothing moved as he stepped on broken glass. “Cindy?”

  _“Alex…”_ It looked up at him desperately, and he didn’t fight when it pulled on his wrists and forced him down to his knees despite the glass digging into his skin. _“Alex, Daddy wouldn’t hurt Us. He loves Us.”_

  “…I wanted to believe that too. But things aren’t always what we want them to be.” He said softly, reaching out and hesitated before his hands touched the makeshift face. “What happened to you?? Is that really…?”

  He jumped when both eyes disappeared into the mess of wires and metal. Staring at it wide eyed, he watched as a different set of eyes appeared on its face; green and larger than before. _“Daddy said not to go visit some of the new robots…but I was so curious. I don’t remember much after that, only that I was stuck here. Inside her.”_

  It motioned towards the broken window. Eggs blinked. “So you were…inside Baby this whole time?”

  _“It’s been so long…I tried to see if anyone found him. But then you appeared and kept coming back, but you didn’t seem to recognize me. I was scared that…maybe I’d been forgotten. But they never announced him dead, so I thought…”_

  Eggs flinched at that. Of course; he decided fuck it and wrapped his arms around the slim neck, hugging what was left of his little sister. He wanted to instinctively tense when it hugged him back, its arms held too tight and it was cold to the touch, but he forced himself not to.

  “He’s dead, and he needed to die. There’s a lot of people he hurt.” He explained softly.

  _“But not Us. He would never hurt Us.”_ The grip tightened almost painfully around Eggs’ shoulders. _“He wouldn’t hurt you or Caleb.”_

  “Except he did. Look, I can’t…really explain it okay? I’m still…struggling with it.” He confessed softly, pulling away. He was surprised when it let him. “But some people that dealt with him, they explained everything. I was going to try and get more details…”

  It frowned at that. _“Alex, he…wouldn’t. He loves Us. He would come to see Us, he promised he’d help Us.”_

  “…he came here?? To see you? When!?” Eggs couldn’t help but demand, shocked.

  The other twitched, pulling itself to its feet. _“We don’t know…Time seems…off. Keeping track of the days is difficult. But he arrived and promised Us they he’d help Us. He’d get Us out.”_

  Eggs stared at it. His dad knew Cindy was down here? Then why…why did he run off and not only die but kill those kids? Why leave everything to him?? Maybe what Jeremy said was true then…he didn’t care about being a father, just liked having something to show off as his own. Perhaps that’s why he decided Eggs was okay to touch and molest and his own ‘real’ kids could be spared…

  “He’s dead. He’s not helping anyone.” He said instead.

  It wailed in a voice that wasn’t quite Baby’s voice, but wasn’t his sister’s either. It was something in between, static and broken. Eggs grunted when it hugged him again and held too tight, pressing him against its mess of a chest cavity. Sighing, he didn’t struggle and reached up and stroked its head.

  “It’s okay. I…don’t know what I can do, but I’ll think of something.” He promised softly.

  _“We just want to leave. We want to go home.”_

  “That’s pretty hard when you’re….well, this.” He tried to explain tactfully but it was impossible. He then paused, frowning. “Wait…’we’? You aren’t like, hiding Shawn in there too are you??”

  _“We are all here.”_ Well, that wasn’t helpful. He jumped when one of its eyes was swallowed up by wires and out came a smaller, purple LED eyeball. _“We are all of Us. Freddy, Foxy, Baby, Bonbon and sometimes more.”_

  “That’s…” A hivemind was the best term to describe that. He stared; his little sister was haunting something that had five other minds fighting for control. He couldn’t begin to imagine stomaching that. He barely had control of himself most times.

  _“But it is alright. We have you with Us, We have come to an understanding.”_ It smiled, or rather, what looked like a smile. _“Eggs, our dearest Alex, you have come back for Us in Daddy’s place. You can save Us now. We had not planned for this to happen yet, but We can make it work.”_

  He frowned. “Save…you? I mean, I’ll try to get you out of here eventually and maybe we can find a way for you to…shit, I don’t know. Get out of that or move on or _something_ …Mike and Jeremy know this ghost crap more than I do, they have experience with it and dead kids.”

  _“We can leave now, Alex.”_ It said again, more sternly this time. It let him go when Eggs pulled away. _“We can start our family over! We can find Shawn and Caleb and Daddy and We have our house. We know you got it, We’ve been watching the emails and messages carefully. We could even have your friends join us.”_

  “Cindy, even if I owned the entire company I can’t just pull six animatronics from the rental service without getting into some serious shit.” Eggs argued lightly, trying to keep his voice even. His sister had been around ten when she died and at his age, he barely understood company politics. “We have to plan this carefully.”

  _“We have planned, for years We planned!”_ Eggs took a step back despite himself, wincing when he fell against the control panel again when it advanced closer. _“We planned everything when you first arrived but you refused to listen to Us! Alex, you don’t know what it’s like to be trapped inside, fighting constantly against computers and errors and sirens screaming at Us to do as We are programmed. We have a home, where We aren’t forgotten and hurt. We have a family that We can get back. We will not wait!”_

  “Cindy-”

  He tried to weight his options when something grabbed him around the waist. Two large, white hands grabbed him and picked him up, pulling him through the broken window. He hissed and attempted to pull himself out, trying to look back as Baby held him and the thing in the control room watched with two different colored eyes.

  “Let go!” He shouted, feeling the clawing panic as he was restrained. “Please, just put me down!”

  _“We won’t hurt you. You are important to Us.”_ Both of the animatronics said.

  He tried to keep calm, forcing himself to take deep breaths around the tight hold on his middle. He was fine, he was okay, he just needed to think and breathe…But the wired robot leaned forward and extended an arm, a large metallic tank-like hulk extending from the middle of its form. Eggs had no idea what it was until it began wheezing and he felt gas against his face.

  _“We will fix this.”_ Baby promised in his ear as he passed out.

Xxxxx


	9. Enjoy the Show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, having some RL issues.
> 
> Uploading might be infrequent due to losing my internet. I now can't just upload at home when I want, and my family can't afford internet to be install out here. Forgive the lateness and I hope this chapter makes up for the wait.
> 
> Enjoy!

Warnings: pedophilia, blood

 

Xxxxxx

  _“Daddy treats you different.”_

_He had only paused at the time, glancing down at here Shawn was playing with his Fredbear doll. He loved that thing, never seen without it in his arms, ever since their Dad gave it to him for his birthday. His own Spring Bonnie doll was in his room and he tried to get Shawn to play with them both but he couldn’t go near the stuffed bunny._

_“What do you mean?” He asked._

_Shawn frowned, face scrunched up as he thought. He was usually quiet and nervous, constantly shifting and double checking that no one would sneak up on him. Not that Alex could blame him with the way Caleb constantly bothered him, but that made it that much weirder for Shawn to say._

_“He loves you differently.” Shawn finally said and dropped it._

_“Daddy loves you like he loves Uncle Scott.” Cindy agreed when Alex mentioned it to her. “Or how he loves Bonnie!”_

_“That doesn’t make any sense.” Alex whined at her, sighing. “And I don’t notice anything different…”_

_She giggled and put down the Funtime Foxy doll she was playing with, one of the arms beginning to fall off. “Course you don’t, stupid.”_

_“Don’t say things like that.” Alex scolded almost immediately._

_“See?? You even sound like him.”_

_Deciding she wasn’t going to be any help, he moved on to Caleb. He found his older brother in his own room, tinkering with a Foxy mask. Or, it looked like a mask but it was fabric. Alex scowled when he realized that was Shawn’s plush toy’s head and he’d ripped it off. When Caleb saw him, he quickly hid the mask under his bedframe._

_“Cindy and Shawn say that Dad treats me different and I have no idea what they’re talking about.”_

_“Of course he does, you’re adopted.” Caleb grumbled._

_“So?” Alex snorted, crossing his arms._

_“Well, he’s gotta, right? Someone didn’t want you.” Caleb shrugged and looked like he was about to push past him. “Ugh, don’t do that! You even stand around like he does, I didn’t do anything wrong!”_

_Alex paused, frowning. Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed…dad usually did do that, especially when he was trying to get Caleb to confess what he’d done. Feeling awkward, he stood up straight and mumbled about not knowing what he was talking about. He went to his own room and picked up his Plushtrap, as Dad had called it, and began messing with the sharp teeth. What was everyone even talking about? How did dad treat him different, when all he did was…well, love him as his own?_

_It bothered him, because if his siblings said so, then it had to be true. What did they know that he didn’t? It was late when he heard the front door open, long past when he should be in bed. He’d made sure Cindy and Shawn were tucked in before that, and Caleb only went to bed when Alex promised he’d let him use the big TV in the living room tomorrow by himself. Creeping down the stairs, he peeked out to see the man had collapsed on the couch, rubbing his forehead._

_“Should be sleepin, kiddo.” He called, and Alex jumped at being caught._

_“I…couldn’t sleep.” He admitted, hesitating at the final step._

_He wasn’t sure if he should go back upstairs or not. Sometimes, dad was hard to read. Uncle Scott was easy, the man was so expressive and Alex could always tell when he was upset or happy or excited. Caleb, Shawn and Cindy were easy to read too most times; they always wore their feelings on their sleeves, he believed was the expression, and he could usually see how to react or what to say because of it._

_But dad wasn’t like that. He could sound perfectly fine, happy even, only for him to finally demand why Caleb had broken a window, why Cindy had destroyed another doll, why Shawn wouldn’t tell him who was bothering him. And it was never foreseeable, they could never prepare for him. Alex gave up trying to hide things, he was always seen through, but his siblings kept trying. Maybe that’s what they meant when they claimed he was different._

_The man finally looked at him, looking tired but still grinning. He motioned for Alex to come forward and feeling relieved, Alex ran over. He paused briefly, staring at where he was sprawled out and climbed up on the couch and laid beside him. The TV was showing some show he didn’t know and didn’t care about as he felt his hair being ruffled and being held against his dad’s chest._

_“What’s botherin’ ya?” He asked into his hair, sounding tired. Like he was almost half asleep._

_Alex frowned. Now that he thought about it, it all seemed so silly. “Shawn said something weird.”_

_“Shawn?” He sounded surprised; Shawn never acted out or got angry, so he usually wasn’t a problem. “What’d he say?”_

_“Shawn said you treat me differently than him…but Cindy and Caleb agreed with him. I don’t know what the talking about.” Alex explained softly._

_He felt the man shift behind him, pulling Alex with him as he sat up. Sitting in his lap, he couldn’t avoid the way he stared. He wasn’t in trouble, he was pretty sure of that, but he wasn’t happy either. He jumped when a hand settled on his shoulder and pulled him close, hugging him tight._

_“Alex, kid, why do ya think I leave ya in charge when everyone’s here and I’m at work?”_

_He frowned, thinking, before he shrugged. “I dunno.”_

_“Because I rely on ya the most. They weren’t sure how old ya were, when I got ya, but I knew it was around Caleb’s age. But ya act older, and I know ya can take care of things here for me.” Alex stared up at him, having never thought of that. “Caleb’s…too immature to look after his sister and brother. Gets that attitude from his mother. But **you**?”_

_“Oh…”_

_He never realized that before. Usually he just did as asked, and if that was making sure Cindy and Shawn didn’t cross the street coming home, taking their hands when they did, or putting them to bed, then that’s what he did. The thought of Caleb doing that was almost laughable. Cindy needed someone to read her to bed, which the older boy would refuse to do, and he picked on Shawn every chance he saw him. That would turn into a fight, not settling down for bed. Even Caleb had some kind of routine, needing Alex to watch some cartoon with him before he’d get into bed himself._

_“Cindy said it was like how you love Uncle Scott and Bonnie…” He began, before stopping. He recalled a time when Scott would come over to put them to bed before Alex took over. “Oh, I guess that does make sense…”_

_His dad raised an eyebrow, something dawning on him. But he smiled before Alex could pinpoint it and ruffled his hair again. “Guess I do. But that doesn’t change that you’re mine, right?”_

_“Yeah. And I don’t mind doing it.” He said softly, shrugging._

_“Get to bed, kiddo. I gotta bring everyone in tomorrow.”_

_He got to his feet, pausing only when he felt dad kiss the top of his head. Shyly, he mumbled a night and ran back upstairs, stopping at the top. He peeked into Caleb’s room, making sure he was actually asleep, before continuing to his own room and climbing into his bed. He stared at his Plushtrap as he laid there before he realized he didn’t understand how he was anything like the golden bunny at Fredbear’s. Dad loved that robot, and maybe even Uncle Scott, in ways he didn’t really understand but maybe it’s because Bonnie looked after them too?_

_He ended up forgetting about it the next day, as he helped Cindy find her bows for her hair. But he was pretty sure dad was still thinking about it, given how Alex would catch him staring at him, thoughtful, before smiling when he noticed him watching. The others never brought it back up either, never questioning why Alex was always put in charge or why dad told him things about the robots that they didn’t understand._

_Dad just loved Alex differently._

Xxxxx

  Eggs felt like his eyes were pulsing when he finally began waking up. His mouth was dry and he felt oddly nauseous and sore. No, not sore…there was something else to it. A warning bell in his head going off that he couldn’t focus on, a dulled feeling of there being something very wrong. He groaned and finally managed to get his eyes open, seeing a familiar room.

  _“Don’t move. If you move, We cannot promise that you will live.”_

  He whined and glanced over. The wired mess from earlier was standing over him, its blue eyes watching him carefully. He wanted to move out of the way of the large scooper in front of him but his body felt heavy and woozy. He could barely form a thought.

  “What…are you doing?” He manage to slur out.

  _“We have waited so long for someone to come for us, Eggs.”_ It said in a voice that definitely wasn’t his sister’s. _“We have suffered too long, forgotten down in this facility. Do you know why We are alive? Do you know why We feel pain when you electrocute Us??”_

  He stared, eyes widening. “Mike said…something about ghosts…”

  It reached out, grabbing his face between its metal fingers. Eggs winced at the touch. _“We are condensed pain. Stolen from Our families when We were human, forced into these bodies and forced to perform for the men that killed Us!”_

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eggs said, gritting his teeth.

  _“It will not matter soon. You are important to Us, and We shall make sure We keep you alive, but We cannot do that if you fight against Us. You have nothing to fear, Eggs. Once We are inside, We can escape from here and protect you.”_

  He jerked away from it. Inside? What did that even mean?! He glared up at it as he felt his body beginning to awakening again, able to move his own limbs and think properly. His eyes trailed over to the scooper before he froze up, a ball of dread forming in his stomach. There was…no possible way, right? He remembered seeing Ballora getting scooped here his first week, seeing the way it tore her apart, but if _he_ were under that…

  “You can’t…I mean, this will kill me. No matter what you think you can do, I can’t survive my insides being pulled out.” He tried to explain hastily.

  _“We will keep you alive.”_

  It was positioned out of the way as he laid in front of the scooper. He wondered if it thought he’d still be asleep for this part; he wished that too. If he was about to be ripped open, he would much rather be asleep and knocked out as he bled to death. An alarm went off suddenly, a red light beginning to flicker. He heard machinery beginning to warm up. And instinctively, he moved at the same moment the Scooper did.

  It missed his front. Eggs screamed as the metal dug its way into his side, feeling himself being jerked into the mechanism when it moved through its motions. The scooper ripped through his side, through skin and muscles and bone, and he collapsed to the ground as his hands tried to frantically cover the large, gaping hole.

  _“NO!”_

  The wired form’s eyes were green as it grabbed him. Its many wires began reaching out and it tightly laid them over the wound as Eggs whimpered and felt bile forming in his mouth. It clamped down better than he could but he still felt the blood oozing down his side and struggled not to cry out every time he shifted slightly.

  _“Why did you move?! Why do you struggle??”_ Cindy demanded as it picked him up. He groaned pathetically in response. _“We wanted to be one when We went to Daddy, but now he’s the only one that knows what to do!”_

  Eggs struggled to get his mouth to work, his tongue feeling oddly heavy as the pain dulled down. He was becoming too accustomed to the feeling of shock blocking out pain. “He’s….gone, Cindy, he can’t…He can’t help us. Bring me to…the surface or a phone, I’m not…”

  Everything felt so…off. Far away. This was how he died, he realized as he felt the thing moving him but unable to keep his eyes open no matter how hard he struggled. He was going to die down here and it wasn’t any of the many ways he’d predicted for himself. It was only once he was so sure his life was going to turn around that this happened.

  He wished he could have had more things set up. Like the house; he wished he could have let them have it. If there was anyone that deserved inheriting a whole house, it was Mike and Jeremy. They’d put up with too much shit and all of it from his own family. He couldn’t help but feel responsible in some way even if there was no earthly way he could’ve prevented any of it.

  He felt his body being moved around suddenly but still couldn’t get his eyes open. Groaning, he managed to crack his right eye open and saw…a bathroom. His house. Before his brain could catch up he was put into the tub and he hissed through his teeth when something cold began spraying over him. Water. Ice water, it was trying to slow down his heart and maybe help him. He couldn’t focus and the cold made it even harder.

  _“Don’t worry Alex.”_ Cindy whispered as it began wrapping something around his waist. _“He will put Us back together.”_

Xxxxxx

  “He was supposed to be here.”

  Mike frowned into his coffee, glancing up as Jeremy paced the entire length of the back room. Foxy was watching him, frowning, as the band stood behind the Head Guard. Freddy seemed thoughtful, they weren’t too bothered by Eggs skipping out on them, but both Springtrap and Jeremy had gotten worked up. It didn’t help that they’d messaged and even called, but Eggs’ phone went to voicemail.

  “He’s probably just busy. And you don’t get good reception underground.” Mike told him.

  Jeremy shook his head. “I’d normally agree with you, but…”

  He trailed off, looking confused and stricken. Mike sighed. He was a bit worried too, but he didn’t understand what Jeremy’s problem was. Eggs was an adult, had been taking care of himself for years without anyone, and he was dealing with a handful of problems that most people didn’t have to face. Between his family, what he learned about his past with them, the house and the onslaught of issues that came with it all…well, Mike couldn’t imagine what he’d do himself.

  “You aren’t usually like this.” He pointed out instead.

  Jeremy shrugged at that, still pacing. “Just a feeling I got all a sudden…the kid’s run off before and I never gave it a second thought. But something about tonight…”

  “Well, if we wanted to check up on him we could…though by now he should be out of work.” Mike checked the clock just in case, frowning when it clicked on, long since past 2am. “Maybe he just went home and went to bed. He’s been worrying nonstop about the house.”

  Jeremy finally sat himself down, on top of the old locked up music box. Mike wasn’t sure when Mark had moved it in here, though Mike had complained that it took up most of the desk space, but for some reason it was shut up tight with the latch. Likely to protect the Puppet inside; the CEO was still in talk about who would get it now that it was retired.

  He doubted the Engineer even realized what he was sitting on, given he refused to go near the box even with the Puppet being gone. That only made Mike frown harder. Jeremy usually was observant, he was a worrier but never like this. It was like a parent worrying over a child and-

  Oh.

  Oh _shit_.

  “Jeremy.” He spoke up suddenly, the thought hitting him like a bolt of lightning. “Uh…I know you don’t like to talk about it and you want me to know even less than that but…what did William do to your head?”

  The blond paused, glancing at him in confusion before realization dawned on him. Almost instantly he shot up to his feet and pulled off his eye patch, fingers running over the empty socket. “That…doesn’t make sense though. He’s gone, we didn’t even know he had this kid.”

  “Maybe but…I mean, the general consensus is he loved his kids…right?” Mike offered weakly. “Even if he just…loved Alex a bit differently.”

  He winced at the way he worded that. It sounded awful. But Jeremy went ridged suddenly, green eye staring at nothing. He saw Foxy mimic his posture. That was never a good sign. Confused, Mike stood up himself, ignoring Chica and Bonnie when they tried to pull him away from the Engineer. He wished there was something he could do, could understand, but Jeremy hid so much from him when it came to William and what he’d done.

  He jumped when the music box shook, smacking against the wall. It seemed to knock Jeremy out of his trance, he cursed and was suddenly standing next to Mike. The box shook and trembled, the lid struggling against the latch. Against his better judgement, Mike reached out and flipped the latch, and the box immediately burst open with a quick tune of ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’.

  “You’re fucking with me.” Jeremy said mutely as the Puppet pulled itself from the box.

  “…Shawn?” Mike asked hesitantly, not seeing the usual glowing eyes in the emotionless mask.

  It nodded its head, holding a long, spindly hand up. Both humans gaped when the white iris’s began lighting up and it shook, trembling as it stepped out of the box. He heard Jeremy breathing hard, glancing over and seeing him rubbing at his bad eye desperately.

  “The hell is going on?” Mike demanded.

  “Never a good thing when something digs itself out of the afterlife.” Freddy mused.

  _“I lost him.”_ A small, child-like voice whispered from the Puppet.

  “Who?” Mike asked the same time Jeremy snapped out, “You useless piece of shit!”

  _“I made sure to watch over him in Purgatory. We were allowed no further. But then, he was…gone. I should have known he’d have his ways out. He always comes back.”_

  Mike felt his insides go cold. “He must have come back for Alex…”

  “Or th’lass.” Foxy added, gold eyes bleeding black. “We never found her. I mean, the young lad Caleb didn’t. The lass disappeared she did, before he died.”

  Jeremy grabbed Mike’s arm. “There’s no way me acting like a bitch the same time this asshole comes back is a coincidence, Mike.”

  Mike nodded shakily. “But what do we do? We have no idea where he even is.”

  His phone suddenly went off, making him jump. Mike’s hands were shaking as he pulled it from his pocket, pausing when the name and number flashed on the screen. Eggs. He answered it as quickly as he could, nearly dropping the phone as he brought it up to his ear.

  “Alex?!”

  “ _House_.”

  The guard jumped, frowning. That wasn’t Eggs’ voice, it was too low. “Who is this? Is he safe??”

  There was a click and he’d been hung up on. He shared a look with Jeremy, the blond looking pale and his eye was leaking something darker than blood. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and the pair began heading for the front entrance.

  “Freddy, we might need Mark here just in case. We’re going to the house to see if Eggs is there.”

  “Should Jeremy go?” Springtrap asked, him and Fredbear having been sitting on stage. The bunny ran over, likely overhearing the entire thing.

  “I can’t _not_ go!” Jeremy argued.

  Mike sighed, because Springtrap had a point and yet the idea of going alone left him feeling nervous. He’d never been completely on his own when dealing with the ghost crap that went on in the restaurant. He had Mark, the robots, even Fritz last time. But he saw Jeremy give him a look at even considering that and he rolled his eyes.

  “We’ll be careful.” He said, shrugging.

  Springtrap eyed him then Jeremy before sighing. “Not worried about you…”

  “Thanks Rusty.” Jeremy grumbled but continued for the door.

  Mike followed him quickly. He wondered about leaving the Puppet behind, he wasn’t sure if it could leave the restaurant but even so, it felt wrong. Shawn had been pulled from wherever he’d been sent and still couldn’t help when his brother was in trouble. And that didn’t cover the fact that his dad was somewhere; the thought made the guard both infuriated and nervous.

  He got into his car as Jeremy climbed in the passenger side. They quickly headed for the house, Mike trying to pay attention to the road as the Engineer began drumming his fingers into his leg. He glanced over and saw that he’d wiped at the blood, it streaked across his cheek, and was staring at nothing.

  “Do I need to know anything you’d rather I not?” Mike asked softly.

  Jeremy winced, forcing himself to look over at him. “Seems like the longer I have the fucker out of my head, the more I remember.”

  “I can’t even pretend to know what that means, Jeremy.”

  “It feels like he ingrained something into me. And if I catch myself, it’s so crystal clear that it used to be attached to _him_.” Jeremy shrugged listlessly, sighing and looking tired. Far more tired than Mike had seen him in a long time. “I drink coffee I find disgusting and I recall a memory of him drinking it. I go to run hands over a scar only for it to be in the wrong place because that’s where _his_ were. I just wanted to think he was sitting in my head but it seemed he did something more.”

  Mike’s grip on the steering wheel flexed dangerously. “If he’s…really back…”

  “He goes back in, then you kill me.”

  The guard flinched, turning and gaping. “What? Jeremy-”

  “I’m serious Mike. I can’t take…recovering again. Not from him. I still feel it lingering when I deal with the kids at work and if I ever…” Jeremy stopped, rubbing his face with both hands. “I can’t. Not again.”

  Against his better judgement, he nodded. He doubted he could really go through with it, but if that made Jeremy feel even a little bit better…They came upon the house then, parking the car at the curb and going to get out when Mike paused, a thought occurring as he shut the door.

  “Wait, scars? He had them?” He asked.

  Jeremy nodded. “All over his body.”

  “Body? How would you know that-”

  “Let’s get going.” Jeremy cut him off and limped away.

  Mike frowned but followed. Jeremy tried the door, pausing when it opened up easily. They shared a look, since they both knew Eggs wouldn’t have left the house unlocked. Taking a deep breath, Mike stepped inside, not seeing anything wrong in the entrance way. He considered calling out, but whoever had called him earlier might still be around and he didn’t want to take any chances.

  They looked at the living room and kitchen as they both headed for the master bedroom. Mike pressed an ear against it, trying to listen in but couldn’t hear anything. Jeremy gave him a look, getting ready to turn the knob. Nodding, he stepped back and the second the door swung open, he was inside and scanning the room.

  “Oh, shit…”

  The bedding had been ripped off the mattress, but more importantly than that was the large smear of blood in the bathroom. It came from what looked like a small hidden trap door in the floor and went off to the side. Mike ran forward, stopping when he saw Eggs sprawled out in the tub. The sheets from the bed were wrapped around his middle. He was soaked, the sprout spitting out water and it had begun to overflow but the tub and water itself was dyed red.

  “Eggs! Alex!” He turned to Jeremy. “Call an ambulance!”

  Jeremy nodded shakily, grabbing his phone from his pocket as Mike went to turn the water off. It was cold, freezing ice water, and he tried to spot where the blood was coming from without moving him. He didn’t dare shift him in case he damaged him further. He heard Jeremy yelp and turned, both of them freezing as William took Jeremy’s phone.

  “Sorry, Newbie, but doctors can’t help him now.”

  Jeremy nearly tripped over himself as he backed away. Mike caught him, all but shoving the blond man behind him as he glared. “How the hell are you around?!”

  He’d only seen pictures of what William had looked like; the black hair, pale skin, oddly silver eyes that weren’t normal for a person. He grinned his trademark crooked smile, too large for his face, as he chuckled. Mike had never realized how tall he was until then, towering over them both as he pocketed Jeremy’s phone into his slacks.

  “Because I planned to make sure I could.” He peered over Mike’s shoulder at where Eggs was laying. “More importantly, though, ya happen to be interruptin’ us.”

  His eyes glowed, an inhumanly light, as he stalked forward. Mike tried to back them up, but that only further trapped them into the bathroom. The guard cringed when the man brushed past him for the tub, unable to stop the revulsion of being near him before he watched William begin to carefully pull Eggs from the water.

  “You get your nasty hands off of him!” Mike snapped.

  “I’m guessin’ with ya both here, Cindy called ya. Shame, since I wanted to let her out from the basement. But she’ll learn to behave…” He paused, righting himself up unnaturally smooth as he held Eggs tightly against his chest. “Who’d have thought, my little Alex would find ya though?”

  “What did you even do to him?” Mike hissed as Jeremy began shaking, the Engineer’s hands grabbing the back of his shirt into a death hold. “Eggs remembers what you did in that back room at Fredbear’s! He hates you.”

  William stared at him a moment, eyes narrowing but his smile only increased. “Mikey, ya make my boy happy so I’d rather not hurt ya, but ya disrespectin’ a man in his own house. And I gotta make sure he doesn’t start bleedin’ out on me.”

  “Is he okay?” Jeremy asked softly, refusing to meet the older man’s eyes as he stared at Mike’s back.

  “He’ll live, once I deal with him. His little sister definitely didn’t get my foresight I’m afraid, she got her useless mother’s. Thought if she crawled inside Alex, she’d get to be free from Circus Baby’s forever, she was only supposed to lead him where I needed him to go…” William sighed then, shaking his head as the smile slipped off his face. “But it’s okay, cuz I’m not letting him go.”

  The way he stared at Eggs’ face made Mike shake and see red. It was loving and possessive, and Mike wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around the man’s throat and kill him himself. But there was something about William that made him pause, something that wasn’t…human. The man was dead, should be a ghost, but there was no way a ghost could touch and interact in the ways he did.

  They all stopped when Eggs let out a whine, his purple eyes open but heavily glazed over in pain. He wasn’t fully conscious or able to pay attention; he was likely struggling to keep himself alive. Mike wanted to take him away and bring him to a hospital, but how could he get him away from William without further hurting him?

  “Move it or else I gotta make ya.”

  Mike jumped, all but snarling as the man eased himself around them both. “What are you even going to do with him? He needs someone to help him, or do you not care about losing another one? You have a shitty track record anyway-”

  He lashed out too quickly for Mike to even see it coming. A hand grabbed him by the throat and his back hit the wall as he was hoisted off his feet. The guard gasped, vision turning hazy with black dots dancing as he was held there one-handed by the older man. He heard Jeremy say something but couldn’t make it out as William glowered at him.

  “I’ve had my kids ripped from my hands too many times. I happily gave myself over to hell’s grip because that’s what my Shawn wanted, and I woulda stayed there. But I ain’t going to ignore that my daughter and son need me.”

  There was no way a normal person could hold him up one handed, Mike thought frantically. Freddy had done this once, so long ago, but he was an animatronic bear. But he wheezed as he struggled to break William’s grip off his neck, fingers pressing tightly against his windpipe. Jeremy grabbed the man’s arm, green eye staring up at him hard.

  “Drop him, Afton.”

  “Why do you gotta get dragged into these things by him, Newbie?” William asked him and released Mike without further prompting.

  Mike hissed, rubbing at his throat. That would definitely bruise. He glanced up, seeing the two staring at each other as Jeremy gritted his teeth. William frowned thoughtfully, seeing the placement eye and the way it was still leaking heavily.

  “What are you doing here? What happened to Alex?” Jeremy asked him carefully.

  William stared back a moment, silver eyes glancing down at where the boy was held against him. “Cindy put him into the scooper. I had to step in.”

  “Step in? Your body is still locked into most of Springtrap’s gears. How are you standing here like the asshole you are.” Jeremy demanded.

  Mike reached out, grabbing his friend’s arm when he realized Jeremy was beginning to get pissed. And while he would love nothing more than seeing the blond snap the other in half, it wasn’t a good idea when he was still holding Eggs.

  “Help me get my boy downstairs and I’ll explain everythin’.” William offered quietly, motioning towards the trapdoor.

  “You think we’re really going into your creepy kill basement to be trapped with you?” Mike almost rolled his eyes as his grip on Jeremy tightened.

  “Jeremy, I need you to breathe and calm down.”

  The blond glanced at him and did so, taking a deep breath. Mike patted his shoulder and glanced up at William. “Fine. Only because I’m not leaving him alone with you down there.”

  The black haired man eyed him before snorting. “Always gotta be the hero huh?”

  Mike watched him go down the stairs that led them down the trap door. He glanced over at Jeremy and saw the blond was staring at the bloodstains instead. He gently prodded his shoulder, making him take another deep breath.

  “Please tell me I hallucinated all that.”

  “Wish I could. You don’t have to go down there with me. You can turn around, take my car and get back to the pizzeria instead, maybe letting Shawn know his dad is here…” Mike started but stopped when Jeremy glared at him and sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought…”

  “Sick of fearing this asshole. And I’m not leaving Eggs down there with him…but Mike, just so we’re both fucking prepared…He’s not a human anymore.”

  Despite thinking that himself, the guard paused, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve spent too many years with machines running in my ears, looking for hiccups and fixing them to not notice when one moves too smoothly.” Jeremy said grimly as he put his eye patch back on. “He’s not a human anymore. He’s a machine.”

Xxxxxxx


	10. I Can't Fix You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being so patient with me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
> 
> And to everyone that follows me on tumblr, I did make a special blog for the Upon AU specifically, where I can answer any questions, give more insight, or you can just bug the guys ;3 If you want, check it out! Otherwise, see ya next update~
> 
> fiveguardsatfreddys.tumblr.com

Warnings: pedophilia, hints of past noncon, blood

 

Xxxxxx

  “What the fuck is all of this?”

  Jeremy paused at the bottom step, ignoring the death hold Mike had on his arm. He was beginning to think this was some kind of prank or fucked up dream. Having a creepy basement he could buy, William was the very embodiment of creepy, but he didn’t expect to keep following a narrow staircase below the basement and into some kind of office.

  “This is Circus Baby’s…” Mike responded softly. “Fredbear’s was connected to it, but…the house too??”

  “Scotty always told me, I had a bad habit of bringing work home with me.”

  Jeremy almost flinched, glaring at where William had disappeared to. The office was almost like some kind of secretary area, with a desk and computer. A huge window took up the entire wall behind it and it showed only an inky blackness. He wondered what was behind it and then decided it was best if he didn’t know.

  He followed behind Mike as they obediently trailed behind Afton. The man likely hadn’t been here in well over six years, but he navigated the halls and doorways like he lived here. It was like a maze, full of locked doors and sterile tiles and dim lighting that made everything look so foreign and alien. The engineer tried desperately to keep track of where they were going but it was near impossible. The place was oddly huge and he had a feeling Afton was purposefully keeping his strides fast so get them disorientated.

  “What’s down here that’s so important? You realize he’s dying, right?” Mike suddenly demanded and Jeremy noticed he had spotted a bit of blood on the tiled floors.

  They didn’t get an answer as William pressed a hand against where a doorknob would be; how he knew he needed _this_ door and not the thousand others was a mystery. But it opened itself with a creak and hiss and the older man disappeared into it. Mike darted forward like it would close behind him and despite every warning bell going off in Jeremy’s head to not lock himself into a small room with a serial killer, he followed.

  “Oh of course, I always forget about the obvious fucking medical room that every secret death bunker has.” He grumbled sarcastically.

  He was annoyed when William smiled at that, propping Eggs onto the gurney. Mike hovered closer than he dared. Jeremy glanced around, trying to make sure he was as close to the door as possible. It looked almost like a typical doctor’s office, something he was far too used to, but a large camera in the upper corner was nothing something one usually put into a normal office. He couldn’t help but snap his eye over when the man began moving around to a cabinet, pulling out an IV stand, a needle that Jeremy definitely didn’t trust him with, and a IV bag of something dark and almost green.

  “What is that?” He asked.

  William paused briefly and Jeremy fought the urge to look away. He stared back, eye narrowing when it was obvious that the man was contemplating answering him. Instead he popped the large needle into Eggs’ arm and set up the IV.

  “Try to ignore me again and my foot goes up your ass. What are you pumping into him?”

  He saw Mike chewing on his lip from the corner of his eye. “How can we help?”

  “By sittin’ there and not getting in my way.” William said finally, eyes focused on Eggs’ face. He’d gone very pale on the journey down, and the sheet around his waist stained dark. “Damn shame ya didn’t bring Mark with ya, but I can least manage this…”

  Jeremy bristled. “I’m not asking these things for my health you know.”

  “Forgot how grumpy ya are now, Newbie, not used to that.”

  This time it was Mike that grimaced, looking like an angry dog as he snarled. “Right because all that time fucking around in his head didn’t count.”

  “It’s one thing to see it, another thing to put up with it.” The older man glanced over at them and Jeremy noticed one of his hands playing with Eggs’ hair. “I don’t exactly have the time or patience to begin explain’ this crap, and I get the feelin’ ya wouldn’t like it either.”

  Mike shared a look with him. “That’s not just replacement blood since you’re not bothering to patch his side…”

  William smirked, reaching into a nearby cabinet. Jeremy tried not to tense up when he pulled out a scalpel, but Mike definitely did. The blond was more than furious at himself when he moved to stop him as he dragged the blade across the skin of his wrist, only stopped by Mike grabbing his arm. They both stared in horror as not blood leaked out but something dark, almost translucent, oozed down his arm. Jeremy swallowed.

  “Won’t go into the specifics, but it’s pretty useful.” William said almost cheerfully as the skin patched itself together before their very eyes, his long fingers flexing. “Granted, it’s been a nightmare gettin’ the right properties. Human bodies don’t like foreign entities invadin’ their space. But they got it just right when I went off and got myself killed.”

  “You’re fucking with us.” Jeremy couldn’t help but say.

  The smirk turned into a crooked grin. “Newbie, gimme some credit. Like I said, ya won’t exactly be sproutin’ my praises when ya find out how I make it but…well, not exactly here to make friends. This stuff is gonna save Alex, and with it I can finally get Cindy outta here.”

  “This stuff…is going to heal him, but then what?” Mike asked.

  William glanced over at Eggs. He was still pale, but there was color to his cheeks and his breathing had evened out. Jeremy noticed that the pinched, pained look had faded. That stuff was inside their killer friend, who wasn’t human but some kind of machine. But putting something like that into an organic body like Eggs’…

  “You’re seriously going to turn your kid into a fucked up robot?”

  “Not quite.” William snorted, looking amused. “Might keep him safe, but I don’t think he’d be thrilled with that.”

  “Then what? Because you know putting some fucked up oil shit into his body isn’t going to go well with his immune system.” Jeremy hissed at him, eye narrowing.

  “Wait.” Mike suddenly cut in, brow furrowed as he stared at where Eggs was laying. “You mentioned his sister? Eggs never said he found her. He would have brought it up with us.”

  The corners of William’s smile twitched and Jeremy noticed his eyes hardening. That wasn’t a good sign. He had very few memories that weren’t fractured or hazy, but what he did remember of the time he spent around Afton and Scott, he knew that it took quite a bit to get the man upset. He was usually all smiles, never letting things get to him or showing if it did. The only firm memory he had of Afton’s temper was when Scott mentioned Freddy had glitched in the back room and smacked him in the eye. He’d been sporting a large bump that was turning yellow. William had stared at it a moment before he’d marched himself into the back room and took a wrench to the bear.

  “Cindy is down here. Been workin’ on fixing her, but I’ve been too...easy on her. Might’ve spoiled her a bit so the second I don’t get her out, she makes up her own plans and screws things up.”

  “Fixing her?” Mike echoed, glancing at Jeremy.

  The blond sighed. “Lemme guess, she dead too?”

  Jeremy didn’t even flinch when the scalpel in William’s hands was slammed down on the counter top. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, seeing the cracks in the marble and the fact that the metal object was imbedded rather deep into it, giving the older man his best unimpressed look as William gritted his teeth.

  “Mike is right, you have a terrible track record.” He couldn’t help but add.

  Mike gave him a dark look, the bruises on his neck dark and obvious. Okay fair enough he probably shouldn’t be poking at the serial killer robot ghost that they were very much locked underground with. Sighing, Jeremy ran a hand through his hair and motioned for him to continue.

  “Ya lucky I like ya, Newbie.” William said bitingly, silver eyes narrowing dangerously. “Though if ya not careful, I might have to do somethin’ about that mouth of yours.”

  He gave him a look and despite himself, Jeremy flinched. He tried to ignore the curious glance from Mike. “I don’t fucking feel very lucky.”

  “What happened to her?” Mike asked instead, obviously trying to break the sudden tension.

  The black haired man stared at him a moment longer and Jeremy looked away. It was weak but he decided he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be scared of the man, but he also knew he shouldn’t push his luck. William’s idea of affection didn’t mean he was safe. He relaxed slightly when the man chuckled suddenly.

  “My girl thought she could handle herself, thought she was smart.” The dead man sneered at nothing. “I told her not to be around Baby when we were testin’ her. She didn’t listen. Got a call that she got wedged inside, no way she could still be alive…but then Baby started sayin’ things…”

  Jeremy gritted his teeth. “So she got stuck in the robot that killed her.”

  Mike shuddered. “That’s…horrible. When did this happen?”

  “Mm, two years after Shawn was killed.”

  Despite himself, the engineer scowled. “You’re shitting with me. You lose Shawn, lose her, and then you _still_ kill Caleb?? And that doesn’t even begin to fucking cover what you did to _him_!”

  He pointed to where Eggs was laying. The boy’s color was back now, his breathing evened out. He wanted to be relieved that he was healing and yet he couldn’t be. Not when they were stuck down here, forced to listen to William’s insane bullshit. None of this would even be a problem if he didn’t force Eggs into this situation.

  Mike grabbed his arm, hissing to calm down. Jeremy glared at him just as hard. “Jeremy, we really need you to stop.”

  “No, fuck you! You told me you wanted more kids, but you can’t even handle the ones you had!” The blond spat, daring to take a threatening step forward.

  William stared at him, eyes narrowed and dark. He knew he was pushing his luck. Really, really pushing his luck but he was pissed off. He couldn’t have nightmares anymore, and fear was a weird off-branded emotion that hit him differently than it used to but he didn’t have anything else to describe what William did to him. He hated him, feared him, and he was tired of it. Instead he wanted to yell and scream.

  He stiffened when the older man suddenly grinned unevenly. “Ya know, for as badly as I wanna sew that pretty mouth of yours shut, gotta admit…Almost proud of ya.”

  “The fuck does that even mean??” Jeremy hissed at him.

  “The little Newbie I knew couldn’t say no, much less stand up for himself.” William’s grin went dark, pushing himself away from the gurney and taking a step forward. Jeremy back peddled almost immediately. “And here Scotty and I were worried about ya.”

  “Nice thing about losing that brain section is I stopped putting up with shitty assholes like you.”

  “You…”

  They both paused, glancing at where Mike was standing. Jeremy had almost forgotten he was there; making sure he had enough space between himself and the depraved serial killer took up most of his attention. But Mike was staring to the side, blue eyes wide and Jeremy was surprised to see him shaking. Confused, he reached for his arm.

  “That’s how you knew he had scars?” Mike whispered so low that only the engineer could hear him. He stiffened.

  “Mike, dude, don’t even-”

  It didn’t help that William’s grin turned into a smug smirk. “Somethin’ the matter, Mikey? Ya look like ya seen a ghost.”

  Mike’s hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white. Jeremy hesitated. He didn’t usually see Mike like this; he was one with the anger problems. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of what to say. He’d rather go his entire life without Mike having any idea of how his time as a Fazbear Security Guard went, but apparently, he didn’t get that choice anymore. Seemed like just another thing he was getting fucked over on.

  “He was sixteen.” The Head Guard hissed through his teeth, glaring at William.

  William chuckled, arms crossed as he carelessly leaned forward like he planned on telling Mike a secret. Jeremy fought against every instinct to back away only because his friend went ridged and refused to break eye contact. Not sure what to do, the blond man just tightened his grip on Mike’s arm, ready to pull him away if needed.

  “So what?”

  Mike punched him.

Xxxxxxx

  He should be dead.

  It was the first thought that formed in his head. But as he struggled with opening his eyes, he realized maybe he was. There was no pain, only a haze. He struggled to remember what had happened. Baby…Cindy…the wire thing. The scooper.

  He finally managed to get his eyes open. He swallowed and winced, tasting something like iron on his tongue. He groaned softly and focused his eyes. A doctor’s office. Someone must’ve found him and rushed him to a hospital then…but then why was he in his uniform still? He had a sheet wrapped tightly around his waist, dark and stained, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t normal for doctors to use, and yet he had an IV stuck in his arm.

  “Glad ya woke up.”

  Blearily, Eggs tried to pull himself up into a sitting position. He nearly screamed when a burning white agony ripped through him, making him cry out and fall back on the bed. It pulsed oddly and with a trembling hand, he pulled the sheet away. It was crusted with dry blood and stuck to the wound, so he stopped pulling on it. He wasn’t fixed up, yet the pain faded quickly. Where the hell was he?

  “Stop pokin’ at it like that, or else it’ll flare up again.”

  His hands were smacked away. Still reeling slightly, Eggs looked up, not sure who he was expecting. Mike or Mark, trying to fix him without calling someone or getting unwanted attention? And yet that wasn’t the person standing over him. Eggs nearly froze up, purple eyes taking in his face. He was hallucinating. A nightmare perhaps, whatever drugs they were pumping into him was making him see things.

  “Dad?” He whispered.

  The hallucination smiled almost sadly, an expression he didn’t associate with the man. “Heya kiddo.”

  To his shock, the bed dipped when William sat down next to him. Eggs stared at the spot as his brain tried to catch up. That…couldn’t happen. There needed to be a mass, an actual physical _person_ there for that to happen. Maybe it really was a nightmare then. He had to blatantly ignore the pain earlier for that to make any sense but it was more believable than a dead man talking to him.

  “Am I dead?” He asked himself softly. Maybe this was just who greeted him before they sent him to hell.

  He yelped when William hugged him, held tightly against the man’s chest. Part of him wanted to rip himself away. Dead or dream or hallucination, he didn’t want to touch him. Not after learning what the man had done to him. And yet another part of him wanted to huddle into his form and cling to him. Eight years; eight long years without knowing what had happened to him. Of being alone, not knowing and only having himself to depend on. Of wondering what would have happened if he had his dad and brother.

  “Not dead, kiddo. Nearly lost ya, but we managed to get ya through the worse of it.” He said softly into his hair. Eggs hesitantly wrapped his own arms around his shoulders. “Goddamn though, Alex, ya know how to give me a heart attack.”

  A hand began running through his hair. Eggs barely noticed when William began rocking back and forth, holding him like he might slip through his fingers. Still trying to get his thoughts together, the technician wondered why his dad knew the Cooldown Dance before the cold, sinking realization hit him. This wasn’t a dream.

  “How?” Was all he could manage before his throat closed up, struggling around the dread and fear.

  The hand in his hair paused, and Eggs felt the laugh rumbling through his chest. “It’s taken me longer than I’d hoped. I certainly didn’t think I’d die on ya before I could come back…”

  He pulled away, wincing as his side gave a sharp throb. He felt the older man’s arms tighten briefly, not wanting to let him go, but before Eggs could begin panicking he was released. It was difficult to stare into the man’s face. He wanted to be happy. Relieved. Somehow, despite being gone, his dad had come back to him; he felt his stomach lurch.

  “What happened?” Eggs begged him.

  William paused, staring at his face intently. Eggs couldn’t help but flinch when a hand came up and cupped his cheek. “That can wait. How ya feelin’?”

  “…Like someone tried to scoop out my insides and missed.” He grumbled, trying to move away from the touch.

  “She didn’t know better. I told her I’d be back and I’d get her outta here, but then the little shits got me killed, so she’s been down here for few years. I’m amazed she even recognize ya though…”

  Eggs frowned at that. “Why didn’t you tell anyone she was here? I could’ve…Someone could’ve helped her! Done something!”

  “Right, lemme quick call up all the people I trust to look after my dead daughter that’s inside a robot.” William snorted.

  “You trusted me! And Scott, you had to have trusted him! Instead you ran off and Cindy’s been stuck down here being forced to share a brain with who knows how many other things and I got saddled up with some assholes that used me as a meal ticket!” He spat angrily.

  He stared hard at his dad before forcing himself to look away and breathe. What was done was done and there was nothing he could do about it anymore, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Of course Cindy was partially insane down here. She was desperate to get out and go home because she had no idea that home didn’t exist anymore.

  “Scotty had no idea I had my little science project goin’ down here…I don’t think he woulda liked it.” William explained softly as Eggs looked back at him. His eyes narrowed suddenly. “Who adopted ya?”

  “I don’t know anymore, only that I hated them and ran away as soon as I could. They locked me up in that…little room for a few years and I wasn’t allowed out unless they were being inspected. They never looked for me once I ran.” Eggs shrugged it off since it was far behind him.

  “They **_what_**?!”

  He jumped when the older man got to his feet, silver eyes blazing, a hand grabbing his arm. He suddenly realized that maybe casually bringing up the abuse to a serial killer wasn’t such a good idea. “They…they kept me in a room, so I wouldn’t get in the way…I managed to pick the lock and ran away.”

  Eggs watched with wide eyes as William pulled away from him and punched a cabinet door. His fist went straight through the wood and it splintered and shattered. That wasn’t…normal, his brain managed. A normal person wasn’t capable of something like that. He was dealing with something worse than just a ghost.

  “Scott was meant to adopt you!” He shouted at nothing, back turned. Eggs wondered if there was a way he could manage to get off the gurney without ripping himself open. “What else did they do??”

  “N-nothing, and it wasn’t even that bad, I just…” Eggs flinched when he turned around and gave him a look of both disbelief and almost hostility. Then he made of the mistake of speaking before thinking. “What does it even matter??”

  “Of course it matters! Ya think I’ll let those _insects_ get away with hurtin’ my son??”

  “They can’t hurt me but you can?!” Eggs snapped back and almost instantly regretted it.

  William stared at him a moment before his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Alex-”

  “What did you think would happen when I grew up?? That I would just forever forget it happened and we’d pretend? Or was the plan that hopefully I was okay with it all and it’d just be this casual thing between us??” Eggs rushed on, unable to control it. “I don’t even remember all of it and I thought that would make it better but it only makes it _worse_!”

  “Alex.” He tried, voice firm but Eggs couldn’t seem to stop himself.

  “Was that the only reason you adopted me in the first place?? What did I do, what’s wrong with me that you picked me to start doing this with? What happened-”

  He couldn’t stop himself from whimpering when William grabbed him, eyes wide as he was pressed against the man’s chest again. He struggled and flailed against him, trying to pull himself out of his grip but his arms were locked against his side and each movement made his side flare up painfully. Eggs sobbed, hating how easily he fell apart as he heard his dad gently hush him and began stroking his hair again. Reluctantly he relaxed, trying to hide his shaking hands.

  “Shh, it’s okay. Breathe kiddo…” William whispered softly and Eggs tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down. “This wasn’t how I planned things to happen…Course there’s nothin’ wrong with ya. Look at ya, Alex, I couldn’t ask for a better son…here ya are, tryin’ to help Cindy when I couldn’t, makin a life for yourself on ya own…”

  His arms tightened at that, and Eggs could only imagine what he was planning on doing to the family that had adopted him. He honestly hoped they weren’t found, he’d rather just forget the entire thing had ever happened. Swallowing roughly, the technician sighed and shook his head.

  “Then why?” He asked him.

  William hummed and laid his cheek on the top of his head. “Because kiddo, you’re mine. Ya were meant to be mine the moment I found ya, the moment I adopted ya. I loved ya more than I can ever say and I tried so hard to make ya happy.”

  Eggs stiffened. “Yours??”

  He felt him smile against his hair. “Mine. Don’t ya remember? Ya agreed with me every time I said it, that’s how I knew…But it’s okay, because now we can fix it all. Get back to how things were supposed to be, I just need to get ya patched up, we can help Cindy once she’s calmed down and we can be a family again.”

  The technician gritted his teeth. That couldn’t be the only reason why he was taken to the back room. Surely the man he’d looked up to, adored and loved couldn’t be that delusional. But as he forced himself to look up and meet his eyes, William grinning back almost excitedly, he realized it was true. So he shook his head and tried to pull away from him.

  “That’s not happening…” He said, struggling out from under William’s arms. “It can’t. I’m not…going to be apart of that, I’m going to help Cindy and move in with Mike and Jeremy, then hopefully keep my shitty job as a technician where I’m not walking on eggshells around the animatronics. It’d be better if you pretend you never saw me.”

  He tried to pull himself off the gurney, ignoring the stinging pain in his side. The IV would need to come out, he’d never done that before but he couldn’t stay here. He’d rather limp off and get help on his own and pretend this all was some kind of messed up hallucination brought on by pain and his near death experience.

  Eggs groaned softly when his feet hit the ground, nearly collapsing. His legs were shaking and the pain was getting worse. He had to be careful not to trip or step on the sheet around his waist, he’d really hate to rip open and start bleeding again here…wherever here was. He managed to take three steps before he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

  “This is a lot to take in.” William offered softly. Eggs fought the urge to roll his eyes. “And if I had known even for a second that ya were out there on ya own, I would’ve done _something_. Maybe even let Caleb off the hook if it meant I’d get to keep ya…but that’s not how it went down and ya can’t honestly expect me to let ya walk out that door.”

  “I’m an adult now and you’re technically dead. So yes, I am walking out that door.” He hissed back and pulled his arm from his grip.

  Something flashed over William’s eyes that he couldn’t decipher. Maybe annoyance at his disobedience, maybe anger at being talk to in such a way. But the man hid it with his usual large, uneven smile that made Eggs pause. He’d missed that smile.

  “I thought this might happen…” The older man mused softly, mostly to himself as he shook his head and reached into his pants pocket. He pulled out a phone and it took Eggs a moment before he recognized it as Jeremy’s. “Ya been in the house, right? Had to be careful no one saw me when I started cleanin’ some of my things out, just in case, but I had to be prepared. Maybe I coddled Cindy and ya too much…”

  “Why do you have Jeremy’s phone?” He demanded.

  William chuckled. “Calm down there, kiddo, I’m amazed ya even met Newbie. Small world, ain’t it? Imagine my surprise when they rushed over here cuz Cindy was convinced she killed ya…”

  They? Eggs tensed, realizing that Jeremy and Mike must be around. But if they had run into William then…were they alright? Mike hated him, and Jeremy seemed to have some resentment to the man given that he nearly ruined his life.

  “They ain’t dead, don’t look so panicked.” The smile suddenly widened and William’s grip on the phone tightened until it cracked in his hands. “Not yet.”

  “Where are they??” He asked, trying to keep his voice even.

  He laughed. “Oh that’s the million dollar question then, where could they have gone?”

  “I’m not playing some sick game with you, where are they?!” Eggs snapped.

  William sneered, silver eyes burning. “Uh oh, I must’ve accidentally put them in with ya sister. Honest mistake on my part, I had no idea she was convinced your friends killed me.”

  Eggs gaped at him before snarling and rushing for the door. He had it open when the door slammed shut, nearly taking his fingers with it. He went to shout at his dad when he froze, eyes wide as a too familiar wire wrapped itself around his forearm, pressing the IV deeper into his veins. He nearly screamed but his voice choked up in his throat.

  “Not so fast there, Alex. We got a lotta things to discuss I think, like that tone ya takin’ when ya talk to me.” William cooed softly as more of the wires dangled out of his skin, latching on to Eggs’ other arm and holding him in place. “So long as ya listen, I dunno, maybe I’ll keep them alive. No promises.”

  “Y-you were that thing this whole time??” Eggs hissed, feeling his heart pounding painfully in his chest. “All this time..?”

  “Not quite. I gotta admit, I’m impressed that the brats managed to piece this thing together, lotta delicate parts ya gotta put together when ya start sharin’ brainwaves and computers like what they made. Ask Newbie some time and he’ll tell ya, ya start losin’ yourself into the mix. But when they made this cute ‘lil amalgamation of parts, ya sister included, they thought they could curl up inside ya and get away, not even realizin’ they just put everything perfectly together…for _me_.” William laughed and Eggs flinched when some of the wires snaked out from under his eyes, from his throat, making him look like a monster he’d see in his nightmares. “And not even realizin’ they could be locked outta their own creation.”

  “Where is she then?!”

  “Right back in Baby, just like I told her if she kept actin’ out. Relax, Alex, things are gonna be fine. Promise ya, soon as ya wake up, I’ll have everythin’ set up and perfect and we can start fixin’ that attitude of yours.”

  Eggs hissed and began struggling again, trying desperately to pull himself out of the tight grip. No, he couldn’t let this happen, he had to get away and save Mike and Jeremy and stop William because somehow he _knew_ if William got things ready he’d never let him go. But the wires just tightened painfully until his very bones groaned in protest and one of them suddenly harshly prodded at the still open hole in his side, causing him to scream and his vision to darken.

  He felt tears in his eyes, unable to stop them. Maybe he should have just laid there and let Cindy scoop him. It would have been better than this, forced to experience his father’s cruelty and delusions. And he had gotten Mike and Jeremy dragged into it all as well, something he’d likely regret for the rest of his life.

  “I…h-ha…” He began, only to realize he couldn’t keep himself together anymore. Screaming at his own weakness internally, he passed out, going completely limp in William’s hold.

Xxxxxx

 


	11. Made me awake and make me hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Hope it was worth the wait~

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood

 

Xxxxxx

  _“Shawn is crying again…”_

_Alex paused, frowning as he looked around the restaurant to find said brother. When he didn’t spot him, he glanced at Cindy in confusion. “Where is he?”_

_“Hiding under one of the tables I think.” Cindy didn’t even look up from the Bonnie toy she was pulling apart and Alex made a mental note to avoid her and Dad because he was going to be upset when he saw what she’d done to another toy. “We should probably see what’s wrong before Caleb finds him.”_

_The black haired boy frowned at that. “Is he with those annoying friends of his?”_

_“Probably. They’re all jerks like he is.”_

_He made a face. He really didn’t like Caleb’s friends since, like Cindy said, they were jerks. They left him alone, one of them claimed Alex was ‘weird’ but they liked picking on Shawn with Caleb. Sighing, he went to get up from the table they were sitting at and tried to spot Shawn. His little brother shouldn’t be so frightened and worried at his own birthday…_

_“Cindy, I better not be seein’ what I think I do.”_

_Alex paused and winced when Cindy tried to hide the toy behind her back as their Dad appeared. “Hi Daddy!”_

_He gave her an unimpressed look. “Don’t ya ‘hi Daddy’ me. Hand it over.”_

_She frowned, glancing at Alex for help but he only shook his head. He wasn’t going to help her, he had told her thousands of times to stop destroying her toys. She glared at him and sighed, reluctantly placing it into Dad’s outstretched hand._

_“I ain’t buying you a new one.” He said._

_“But Daddy! That’s not fair…” She argued._

_He crossed his arms. “Oh? Ya have been through more toys than any of your brothers. Ya want more, then ya better start askin’ mom because I’m done.”_

_Cindy pouted, arms crossed and kicking the table leg. “You always buy Shawn new toys!”_

_“He takes care of his and appreciates them, but both you and Caleb can’t seem to take care of anythin’.” He sighed and rubbed at his temples, making Alex frown and worry. Dad had been doing that a lot lately. “What am I doin’ wrong with you two?”_

_“Dad?” Alex began softly, pulling on his hand. “Are you okay?”_

_He looked confused for a moment before he chuckled and managed a tired laugh. “Alex, kiddo, ya never cease to amaze me…”_

_He cocked his head. What had he done? He wanted to ask when suddenly there was screaming. And it wasn’t normal kids screaming, that happened, but it sounded like adults and kids and he saw a few waitresses suddenly running towards the stage. Cindy grabbed his hand and Dad was telling them not to move as he ran off as well._

_“What happened?” Cindy asked, like he hadn’t been standing here with her the whole time._

_“I dunno…” He suddenly looked around. “Wait, where’s Shawn?”_

_The screaming had died down, leaving them both able to hear a new noise. It technically was a scream, but of a voice they recognized. Alex tensed, heart pounding, as he wondered why Dad would ever make a noise like that. Cindy went pale, green eyes shimmering, and he tried desperately to think of what to do or say to calm her down when he felt himself beginning to panic._

_“Daddy?!” Cindy tried to run off, but he didn’t let go of her._

_“Cindy, no, he said to stay here!”_

_Instead he was pulled along with her, not wanting to be separated. There was a huge group of people around the show stage that they had to struggle through, but being smaller made it easier. Cindy was like a bullet, unable to be stopped, and they burst through so suddenly that Alex felt dizzy. He first spotted Caleb, the boy wailing and saying something as one of his friends held him. And then he spotted Dad but almost couldn’t recognize him. He was pale and crying and looked so much unlike Dad._

_And finally, Alex saw the stage._

_Without thinking, he pulled Cindy close and forced her head away from the sight, even though she had clearly seen it. She was shaking in his arms, eyes wide, and Alex hugged her. He glanced at Dad again and saw that he was sobbing, having fallen to his knees and Uncle Scott was desperately trying to pull him away._

_“It, it was an accident, I didn’t…m-mean…”_

_“What did you do?” Alex asked softly, heart racing as Caleb tried to wipe his eyes but it didn’t help. “Caleb?”_

_“I, I was just trying to scare him! H-he couldn’t stop crying, so we m-made him go up there, and…a-and then Fredbear…” Caleb shook his head, and Alex couldn’t help but notice that his group of friends had disappeared. “F-F-Fredbear bit down! He was supposed to be turned off, we didn’t think…!”_

_“How could you??” Cindy demanded as her hands tightened on Alex’s shirt. “Why would you hurt Shawn?”_

_Alex fought the urge to look back at the stage. He had a sinking feeling that Shawn was more than ‘hurt’ but explaining that to Cindy…He shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. “We, we should…go and find someone…”_

_Like a ray of hope, a woman Alex only vaguely recognized was there, grabbing Caleb’s hand and then Cindy’s, pulling the younger girl out of Alex’s arm. “Come on, we’re getting out of here. Cindy, come here.”_

_She picked Cindy up and began leaving, Alex awkwardly hesitating. He glanced back at Dad was, and he was sobbing into Scott’s chest. He instead made to go to him, wanting to comfort him, but the lady suddenly turned around._

_“Alex, you too.”_

_He followed her. He didn’t really know her, she was Cindy, Shawn and Caleb’s mom, and he only ever saw her when she came to pick them up on weekends. She didn’t seem to like him very much, always avoiding him when she came but Dad explained that she wasn’t fond of kids. He didn’t understand that, since she had three, but maybe it was a grown up thing he wouldn’t get until he was older._

_She led them outside, gently whispering into Cindy’s hair. Alex stood there. He watched the crowd, all of them standing outside Fredbear’s. Most left when the police arrived, and then suddenly there was an ambulance. It seemed like forever before the medic people came out, and Alex felt nauseous when he realized Shawn was on the gurney they were rushing out of the building._

_“Amelia,” Dad was suddenly there, silver eyes running over the three of them before landing on the lady again. “What happened?? No one’s givin’ me a straight answer.”_

_“Daddy is Shawn okay?!” Cindy asked and squirmed, motioning for him to hold her instead._

_He took her, gently hushing her as he rubbed her back. “It’s fine, sweetie, it’s alright.”_

_“I was getting the cake ready, I didn’t see it either. What did the paramedics say, is he alright? What hospital are they taking him to?” Amelia responded, sounding more tired than worried._

_“C-Caleb did it!” Cindy wailed, pointing towards where the oldest was sitting on the pavement. “He, he said they were trying to make fun of him!”_

_“He said it was an accident.” Alex added desperately._

_Dad stared at him briefly and then something in him seemed to snap. He all but shoved Cindy back into Amelia’s arms and grabbed Caleb by the shoulders, jerking him to his feet. “What did you **do**?!”_

_“I-it was supposed to be a joke, we didn’t know-” Caleb sobbed, flinching._

_“How many times have I told ya to leave him alone?? And now look at what you’ve done! The hell is wrong with you?!” Dad snarled and Alex winced when he smacked him across the face. “You’re givin’ me all your shitty little friend’s names, ya got that?! I don’t even want to look at you right now, you’re going with your mother.”_

_“D-Dad-”_

_“Will, stop, he didn’t know this would happen.” Their mom said, rubbing Cindy’s back as the girl cried._

_“You’re takin’ both of them, I’ll call ya when I hear what’s going on…” Dad paused and his shoulders shook as he rubbed his eyes. He then heaved a broken sigh and turned to Alex. “I’ll…drop ya off at the house, Scotty can come by and look after ya okay?”_

_Alex shook his head. “I want to come with you.”_

_“No, I don’t know how long this’ll take and…” He trailed off before running a hand through his hair._

_He watched Amelia take Cindy and Caleb, trying to catch their eyes. He gave Caleb’s hand a brief touch, but the other boy sniffled and pulled away. Once they were gone, Dad picked him up and began carrying him home._

_“I want to come with you, I want to see Shawn.” He said again._

_“No way, kiddo, ya stayin’ home. Don’t argue with me, I can’t right now.”_

_He shook his head. “I want to be with you, Dad, please? I want to make sure Shawn’s okay.”_

_He hesitated this time, grip on him tightening. Nothing else was said until they arrived home. Alex watched him gathering up his car keys and a jacket, trying to think of a way to convince him to bring him along. But he decided maybe it was for the best if he didn’t bother him, given that he seemed obviously upset._

_“Dad…is Shawn going to be okay?” He asked softly._

_The man paused, sighing, before he kneeled down and pulled him into a hug. “Thing’s are gonna be fine, kiddo. I promise. I just need ya to be strong for me, okay?”_

_“Okay, Dad.” Alex said, hugging him back tightly._

_Dad pulled away slightly and kissed the top of his head. And then he did something odd; he leaned forward and kissed Alex on the lips. Which wasn’t so unusual, Dad was affectionate and did that for all of them when he put them to bed. But Dad usually pecked them and moved on, and instead he cupped Alex’s cheek. The boy blinked, confused at the action and that Dad didn’t stop. He pulled away when he felt something brushing against his lips and Dad suddenly clamped a hand over his own mouth._

_“Sorry, kiddo, I…” He shook his head and stood up. “Scotty should be here any minute, okay? Just be good for him and I’ll call later.”_

_Alex swallowed and nodded, watching him leave. Alone, he frowned and wiped his mouth. What had been the point of that? But then again, Dad seemed pretty upset so he might have just done something weird on accident. Shaking it off, he waited for Uncle Scott and decided to forget about it. He needed to focus on Shawn._

Xxxxxxx

  With a gasp, Eggs jerked awake and sat up, trembling and shaking. He nearly fell off the small cot he was in, purple eyes frantically looking around the room before his mind caught up and he remembered what had happened before he’d passed out. He patted himself down, finding that the sheet around his waist was gone, but the IV still connected to his arm. The hole in his side had a piece of gauze over it, and it didn’t hurt when he ran a hand over it, but he had a feeling it was from whatever was in the IV.

  “Dad?” He called, glancing around again.

  The room was large and sterile, with white tile floors. He was laying in a cot, but there was a bed shoved against the wall and toys and furniture…and then Eggs realized this was all his. Everything taken from his old room was here. Slowly standing up, he had the cold realization that his dad had brought it here to prepare this room for him.

  “Dad!” He called again, looking around until he spotted a camera in the corner, the red light blinking. “Hey, get me out of here!”

  He tried to step towards the door but froze and hissed, hand going to his side. It didn’t hurt, but there was a pull in his muscles and he had a vague feeling that it _should_ hurt. Gritting his teeth, he moved slower and tried the door. It was metal, and reminded him of a prison door, or for an institute. It had a window and a slot, but both were covered up by a metal slate.

  “You can’t keep me in here!” He shouted, trying to shake it. “Dad!”

  “Calm down.”

  He almost jumped, pulling away from the door as the slate moved. The window opened and his Dad stared at him a moment, eyeing him carefully. Seeing him on his feet, the man nodded and opened the door, slipping inside. It closed behind him with a cloud _click_ and Eggs backed away to get some room between them.

  “Ya been out for a few hours…standin’, so that’s good, but if ya ain’t careful then ya might tear it open again and I’ll gotta start all over.”

  “Dad, what the hell are you doing?? Why am I down here, you can’t honestly expect to just keep me in here right?” Eggs demanded hotly.

  The older man sighed and put his hands into his pockets. “Alex, ya gave me no choice. I can’t let ya ruin everythin’ when I’m so close to finally having things right.”

  “Things **right**?? You caused all this! You killed Caleb! You _left_ me! I waited, for years, I waited for you to show up at my doorstep and take me home away from those fucking people! I hoped it every morning I woke up and I kept telling myself that you had to be trying, right?” Eggs gritted his teeth and kicked out at the nearby dresser as he breathed hard. “Why did you do it?? Why did you have to leave me just to get some kind of petty revenge again Caleb, who didn’t fucking know better?”

  “He let that entire group of snot-nosed brat friends of his talk him into it and it cost Shawn his life. He deserved far worse than what I gave him, those shitty brats and that little whore.” William argued.

  “He was what?? Twelve?!”

  “And he didn’t **learn**! He was supposed to watch Cindy and it got her killed to!”

  Eggs froze. “…What?”

  William sighed, shaking his head. “He wasn’t supposed to leave Cindy alone…I told him that, I told him we couldn’t have any one kid in the room alone with Baby and he ran off the first chance he fuckin’ got. And Baby killed Cindy.”

  Eggs swallowed, trying to remember anything from around that time. He’d been at home when…when someone told him that Cindy was dead. Was it Uncle Scott? And afterwards, when Dad and Caleb had returned home…nothing. He couldn’t remember anything.

  “But why did you leave me?” He whispered.

  He didn’t fight when the other man hugged him, just sighed and laid his head against his chest as William wrapped his arms around him. “I was so angry, Alex. Caleb took your brother and sister away and I was scared that maybe…maybe I’d mess up and accidentally hurt ya too. It’d been years since I had hurt anythin’, I thought I was better, but what Caleb did…”

  “Wasn’t I worth staying around for?” He asked instead.

  “If I could do it over, I never woulda left ya. I swear. I couldn’t control myself, I was too far gone…” He sighed and pulled away, cupping Eggs’ face. “Don’t ya see how badly I want to fix it? I can put Cindy back, and now you’re here too…”

  Eggs stared at him. “What do you mean…too far gone?”

  “Look, kiddo…I don’t like to admit it, but I’m not perfect. I do things I don’t like and regret, and most times I can’t control myself. No matter how much I try…”

  “You’re lying, you’ve always been one of the most put together people I’ve known! The only time I’ve ever seen you snap was…a-after Shawn.” He shook his head and pulled himself away. “And that doesn’t…doesn’t forgive what you did to Caleb. Or to me.”

  William stared at him. “No, it doesn’t. I…rushed things with ya.”

  “That’s not the point! You shouldn’t have waited, you shouldn’t have wanted to do anything like that with me! I’m your son!” He faltered slightly. “Aren’t…I?”

  “Don’t say that, of course ya are.”

  “Then why **me**?? Cuz I’m adopted?!” He argued.

  “No, Alex, that’s not…I…” William gritted his teeth and turned away, sighing.

  Eggs scowled. He wasn’t going to let him run away from this; he’d been wanting answers for too long. “Then why? Give me a fucking answer, because you have no idea what remembering that has done to me this past week! Did you think it’d be okay? That it wouldn’t fuck me up afterwards?!”

  “Ya weren’t supposed to remember, I…” The  other man glared at the wall. “I was careful, ya weren’t meant to remember any of that. I just slipped the once, I swear, but the bitch thought she had a right to take the kids away from me. Me! Like I’d let her, or that she could even look after em, she hated havin’ em…”

  Eggs stared at him, realizing he was going to lose him. His clear silver eyes were clouding with something…it gave him an unhinged look, like how he seemed back in the hospital room. “Slipped…? How would I not remember?”

  “Do ya know how long I’ve fought that urge, Alex??” The man laughed but it was an unhappy sound. “How deep I had to shove it? So I just threw everythin’ I could into work, into raisin’ ya guys, into makin’ the restaurant better…I had Scotty, but then he found some nasty little bitch that he had to get married to, and then I had Amelia but she was worthless. If I knew she was like that I woulda stuck clear…”

  “But why me?” Eggs asked again, feeling selfish but needing a straight answer. “You were surrounded by other kids!”

  William rolled his eyes, making Eggs see red. “Ya act like I coulda grabbed any ol’ kid off the playground, I ain’t that shallow…”

  He suddenly felt his stomach lurch. “…You have a type…”

  “Everyone has a type, Alex, there’s nothin’ to-”

  “And it was me, wasn’t it?” He went on shakily, a trembling hand going to clench at his hair. “Oh god, that’s the only reason you even adopted me wasn’t it??”

  Silence. He flinched like he’d been hit, staring at the other man as he seemed to struggle with words. He had been roughly six when he was adopted, so this entire time was just…William biding his time with him? What horrible things had he been fantasizing about??

  “Was I just some kind of toy for you??”

  “No! Of course ya weren’t.” William snapped back angrily before he sighed. “That’s not why I picked ya. Ya were….beautiful, and so small. Amelia was leavin’ me at the time, said she was sick of being nothing more than poppin’ out kids. And then….and then ya arrived, sittin’ there so calmly and not cryin’ like the others were. Henry said I was insane, I had three little ones at home and I was takin’ such a risk with ya…but the moment I picked ya up, you…”

  Eggs stared as a fond smile spread across his face and flushed slightly. It felt odd, being talked about like that. And if he could believe him, then he wasn’t adopted just for alternative means. He swallowed. And then he paused, frowning.

  “…’arrived’?” He echoed back.

  William continued, not hearing him. “The first thing ya did was grab my shirt and fall asleep on me. Ya slept the entire way home too. Ya never left my side either, always followin’ me around the house wherever I went and ya kept sneakin’ into my office at work rather than sit with Caleb and watch the show stage. Sit on my lap and sometimes ya got crayons on my paperwork but it was alright. No one minded.”

  Despite himself, Eggs almost smiled. “I drew on the schedule and got some people pretty upset when they couldn’t read it…”

  William grinned at that. “Ya also would guilt trip whoever was mannin’ the prize counter. ‘Specially when ya wanted a new toy and didn’t have enough tokens.”

  They both lapsed into silence again. Eggs watched him as he seemed to lose himself to reminiscing and let him as he took a deep breath. He needed a moment to collect himself anyway. He wasn’t about to let that little detail slip by, whether his dad wanted to ignore it or not.

  “What do you mean arrived?” He asked him.

  It took the older man a moment to pull himself together. Eggs crossed his arms, staring him down as he waited for a response, watching as he seemed to realize what he was asking. William paused and seemed to weigh his options, staring back at Eggs.

  “Don’t even try to lie to me.” He sneered.

  William shook his head. “What does it matter?”

  “Of course it matters! I want answers, I want to know what you’ve been hiding from me my entire life while I envisioned this perfect dad that I thought would come save me.”

  “Alex…” He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “Ya have to understand, this business…it’s not any normal business we’re runnin’ here. I’ve been working on this for years, Henry promised me this would work, ya see? When ya lose a kid…So we made some special devices that would take kids without anyone realizing.”

  “You’ve…been kidnapping children??” He repeated, horrified.

  “Henry was hopin’ that if ya used enough people, ya could bring back one. I didn’t care too much for the details, I just let Henry do what he needed once his little girl died. We were heart broken, Charlotte was goin’ to be a such a beautiful girl…but then Shawn died.”

  Eggs glanced at the IV in his arm. “This stuff…?”

  William nodded. “I decided to test it myself first. And well…”

  He motioned to himself, standing there in what seemed to be perfectly working, solid body. And Eggs had touched him, hugged him, and it felt like he was a person. And yet, that wire thing from Baby’s room was inside there. How? Was it curled up inside him like it planned on doing to him when it scooped him?

  “So you can give Cindy a new body…” He said, wanting to make sure he understood. His Dad nodded. “But…to do that, you’ve been killing kids with the animatronics that have been rented out.”

  He was surprised when the other’s silver eyes hardened suddenly. “They’re not my problem.”

  He reeled slightly. “W-what…? They’re someone else’s kids!”

  “And their parents shoulda kept a better eye on them. They ain’t my problem, I’m bringing back mine.” He said firmly.

  “How can you say that…” Eggs hesitated then. He honestly wasn’t much for empathy himself but this was just…cruel. “Why would you work with kids if you felt like this?”

  “Alex, I love kids. The whole reason I even went into the business was I thought I’d never have any of my own. And the thought destroyed me, watchin’ as Henry had a pair of beautiful twins and I still had nothing. Ya don’t realize how happy I was when Amelia said she was pregnant…” He grinned at that, seemingly remembering something. “She was a little hussy of course, shoulda known better when she flirted and bent herself over, but I got Caleb out of it.”

  Eggs winced at that. “How much did she know about you?”

  William paused, looking surprised before chuckling. “Nothin’. She was easy to string along…Course by the time Shawn was born, she was constantly on my case. She thought three was enough, why did I keep gettin’ her pregnant? I thought for sure I could get at least one more, but she tried to leave. So I divorced her and made damn sure she wasn’t getting’ custody. And then I got _you_.”

  He looked so excited then. It made Eggs felt sick. “But what does that have to do…with how you adopted me?”

  “…Ya a smart boy, kiddo. I like to think ya take after me.” William mused softly, that same excitement in him and yet now he spoke carefully; it had to be bad then, right? “Not…all the kids we grab die. We keep some alive, work with them. We’re very careful about it though, ya gotta be to last as long as we have. But I got called in, someone messed up and suddenly there’s a pair of little twins sittin’ here in the office cuz no one knew what to do with them.”

  Eggs froze. “….you’re saying…”

  “The other one kept screamin’ and cryin’ and just giving us all a headache. But you…you just sat there, staring up at me with those big eyes of yours. And the second I picked ya up, I knew that you were mine.”

  “You…stole me away from my real parents?”

  William paused, seeming genuinely confused. “Not quite. We send the animatronics to orphanages ya know, mostly cuz when a kid goes missin’ there’s no one that comes looking. One less mouth to struggle feeding, one more bed open to someone else that needs it. I tried to find out where ya came from, thought maybe I could get some medical records just in case, somethin’…I had to make sure I could look after ya.”

  Eggs tried to sit on the cot, stumbling slightly. He ended up missing it and fell to the floor, staring past the man in shock as his mind raced. It technically didn’t change much…he was an orphan that needed a family, and he got one…but he’d had a sibling. A _blood_ sibling, one that he guessed wasn’t his Dad’s type if he didn’t take them both.

  “What…happened to the other one? Did I have a brother or a sister?” He asked softly.

  “Don’t remember. Could look it up I guess, if it means that much to ya…” William carefully walked over and crouched in front of him, reaching out and taking his hand. “Alex…ya gotta understand. Everythin’ was only to make us a family again.”

  “Including molesting me?” He snapped, trying to pull away.

  His grip tightened, to the point where his bones groaned in protest. “I slipped. Let temptation get to me, I can’t even remember what made me snap anymore…but I made ya take something that was supposed to make it so ya couldn’t remember. I never did it again, until…”

  Eggs clenched his eyes shut. Until that girl in the backroom. He was going to kill her, he probably didn’t see the problem with…He couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped him when William pulled him close and kissed the top of his head, whispering something into his hair. He was insane, a part of his brain whispered. There was something severely wrong with him if he honestly thought he was doing this for the best, that he could be justified in his actions.

  “Once Cindy is back, I’ll shut it all down.” William suddenly offered, gently grabbing his chin and forcing his gaze to meet his. “All of this. I don’t care what I gotta do, I’ll sell every bit of it, scrap it all, burn it to the ground if I gotta…I just want her back, Alex.”

  And he did too. He tried to cover his eyes when he sobbed, feeling ridiculous and embarrassed. He wanted it all back so badly. His sister and brothers and a dad that he thought the world of. Not knowing that someone he had to have loved died here, name unknown and forgotten by everyone. He could even live with the idea of his dad wanting something more from him, using him, if it meant no one stray child got hurt.

  It would be so easy to shut his eyes, plug his ears, and obediently go back. He could save Mike and Jeremy, it was his fault they were even here. Bargain them to get out, tell his dad he had to put someone else in charge than Henry and himself, they clearly couldn’t be trusted. Maybe Mike himself, the man had more love for these robots than anyone else in the world…

  “Will…will she be the same anymore? Stuck down here for so long….? Can she even age properly??” He demanded.

  “No. There’s…nothin’ organic to it, so as she’s around I’ll have to find ways to upgrade it. Give her somethin’ new every few years. Cindy and I will be around for a very long time.” William explained honestly.

  It was a horrifying thought, one that gave him shivers. “This is wrong. She’s dead, Dad, putting her into a fake body…it’s not different than her being stuck in Baby.”

  “It’s not. She’ll be free to move, have a life again. She’ll be with us. I promise ya, Alex, things will be different!”

  It wouldn’t. William was a murderer, a serial killer, a pedophile that surrounded himself with children. Eggs knew it would never be different so long as the man lived. But his hand, the one William had grabbed, was bruising from the man’s grip without him even realizing. He wasn’t human anymore, couldn’t be stopped like a normal person. And Eggs needed to play his cards carefully to make sure he got himself out of this alive, and could get Mike and Jeremy to safety.

  “I…want to see Cindy. And Mike and Jeremy.” He said instead.

  The man stared at him, eyes flashing. Likely suspicious of him. Hesitantly, Eggs tightened his hand around his, looking away so he wouldn’t have to see the hopeful gleam that appeared in William’s eyes as he stared at their joined hands.

  “Alright…but ya stick close to me, got it?” He mumbled and pulled Eggs effortlessly to his feet.

  “Y-yeah…”

  He had to steel himself and not flinch away when William leaned forward and kissed his cheek. More accurately the corner of his mouth. Eggs felt nauseous but swallowed it down. Pulling away, the man helped him with the IV and began carefully walking him towards the door. Eggs hated that he kept a grip on him, he didn’t want to be touched, but arguing wouldn’t go well for him. So he sucked it up and walked, promising himself that it was for the best to play along.


	12. Sorry That I Can't Help You Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So lemme say...this is short. But I was feeling pretty desperate to get something out to you all with an apology.
> 
> Thing are...rough for me right now. Medical problems, surgeries, medical lawsuits (good ol America, having hospital sue their patients because they're too sick to work, but they can DEF pay their medical bills then right???) clinical depression...I could go on. But why bore you with the details? So forgive me for the huge break, and I'm sorry if there are any errors you find. This is unbeta'd cuz I wanted it out soon as possible.
> 
> Special dedication to my lovely friends for helping me finish this.  
> And a callout for RLeeSmith for being so kind as to review every chapter of every series to tell me how much they liked it, and pushing me to get to work ;3

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood

 

Xxxxxx

  “Did Uncle Scott ever know?”

  It came out before he even thought about it. Eggs glanced over at where William was walking, hoping that it wouldn’t set him off. He wanted so many of his questions answered finally, there were things he needed to know after so long and details he wanted cleared up in the four years he’d lasted down here in Circus Baby’s. But he also knew he needed to step carefully if he wanted to not only get out of this alive, but his coworkers as well.

  “Know what?” William asked back. Eggs had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

  “About…you. What you did to Caleb.”

  William didn’t stop from walking but there was a pause in his step briefly. Eggs nearly stumbled into him. “No. Scotty never knew…he saw me through lotta shit, but I don’t think he ever realized…”

  Eggs frowned. “How could he not?”

  “Well…” The older man ran a hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. “Scotty and I went through a lot together, Alex. He may have…eventually noticed that I was a bit too close to the kids, but he just thought it was cuz I wanted my own. He pushed me to get myself a wife, and when that fell apart, he was right there tellin’ me I couldn’t make her stay. That he was glad I kept the kids since she was too young to be raisin’ them…”

  “But you were killing kids under his nose?” He asked softly.

  “I almost told him.” William admitted easily. “I know he would’ve been upset…he might have even tried to turn me in. But I didn’t like lyin’ to him. I came pretty close to it but then he introduced me to his girlfriend.”

  He gave a sharp smile. Eggs winced. “I take it you didn’t like her?”

  “She was all he ever talked about. Bad enough when Henry got married and had twins, I still had the restaurant then. But once I lost Scotty to that bitch…” He shook his head. “She took up a lot of his attention. And well, once we had to start worryin’ about staying alive from the old robots…”

  “You didn’t lose him.” He grumbled hotly, glaring up at the taller man. “He fell in love with his wife. And Aunt Jill was great.”

  His fingers flexed on the boy’s arm. He tried not to wince. It seemed instinctive and William stopped a beat later, but it was enough to get him to hesitate. Okay, fine. That line of conversation was over. Eggs swallowed, trying to think like William; the man had a different frame of mind, right? He honestly thought he was owed these things from people like him and Uncle Scott, so he had to think like that to understand and keep him from getting upset. But it was so…alien. Disgusting.

  “Did you love him?” He asked instead.

  William paused again. This time, Eggs did run into his back, a full body shudder going through him. “Alex, ya aren’t that great at lyin’, so why are ya asking me this?”

  “Because you’ve been gone. And I’m missing large chunks of my childhood memories that I’m starting to suspect is whatever crap you gave me to forget about the backroom.”

  “Ya can’t blame that all on me, you know.” William sighed, turning to look down at him. “Do you remember Shawn?”

  He flinched. “…yes…but only fully when I woke up earlier.”

  “And Cindy?”

  “No? I was home when she died, wasn’t…I…?” He faltered at the man’s narrowed eyes.

  “Caleb was supposed to watch ya both. Told him this was his chance, I would trust him again. I was plannin’ on dealing with his nasty little friends then, had everything planned out. But then he let you run off and you snuck into the prototype room. And he left Cindy alone with Baby to find you.”

  Eggs gaped at him. “W-what?? Then…”

  “No. It’s not your fault.” He said immediately, nearly cutting him off as he grabbed his shoulders. “You were a smart kid, Alex. Ya could keep up with some of my work even when I first brought you home. You found the prototype I’d hid in the storage room and ya…I don’t know, ya liked it, even though it was in pieces. Caleb should’ve watched ya both better…and he knew no one was to be on their own with Baby.”

  He shook his head. It certainly sounded like it was his fault. “But why don’t I remember??”

  “Trauma fucks with your head, kiddo. No, don’t give me that look. Ya watched your brother dangling from Fredbear’s mouth and if ya got even just a _peek_ at what Baby did to Cindy…” The older man sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I’m not surprised ya don’t remember. I’d be happier if ya didn’t.”

  He almost sounded like a parent. Eggs looked away, eyes going straight to the IV deep in his skin. The bag was nearly empty and the pull from his side felt like nothing. A hand went to it, fingers lightly pressing through the gauze. Nothing. No pain, not odd sting or ache, not even the warmth of blood. It was healed. As much as he hated being healed from this disgusting ooze, knowing what made it, he was thankful. It gave him more options.

  “Where…are we anyway?” He mumbled softly.

  None of this area was familiar to him. It was far nicer than any area of Circus Baby’s he’d seen down here, more expensive and sterile. It had an almost laboratory feel to it. Until they came to a door that needed William’s hand against where the knob should be and suddenly, there was expensive carpet and what looked like a lounge.

  “Testin’ site.” William answered offhand as he strolled up to a panel that overlooked a huge glass wall.

  “Testing what?” He asked nervously.

  The man gave him a grin that made his stomach lurch. He hit a button and the glass lit up instantly. Baby looked back at him, her green eyes literally lighting up at the sight of both of them. Against his better judgement, Eggs ran to the glass, not caring that William was at his back. Eyes looking at her and the area around her, he bit his lip when he didn’t see Mike or Jeremy.

  “Cindy?” He asked.

  She hesitated, twitching. “Alex…”

  “Cindy, it’s you…What happened??” He didn’t see anything wrong with her and there wasn’t any evidence of a struggle or someone having died in the room she was kept.

  “I’m sorry, I…” She glanced at William. “I thought you died. I thought I killed you.”

  He shook his head, smiling slightly. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m still here. You got me upstairs and…Dad patched me up.”

  “Just like I said he would…” She added softly.

  Eggs nodded, swallowing roughly. His throat suddenly felt dry. She had said that, carrying him from the Scooper. Did she know William was around? But how was that possible? Shaking his head, he decided it didn’t matter right now. There were more important things to worry about and it felt like he was on a dangerous time limit.

  “Yeah, you did. I should’ve listened to you.”

  He tried not to stiffen when William walked over and draped an arm around Eggs’ shoulders. “See? She’s fine, just like I told ya.”

  Baby shifted nervously, looking every bit like the small girl stuck inside her than the seven foot robot she really was. “Daddy, am I still in trouble?”

  “Ya put Alex into lot of danger, Cindy. If I hadn’t been around, ya would’ve killed him.” William’s grip tightened on Eggs’ shoulder, making him wince. “But don’t worry it’s not forever. Just until I have everything set up and ready for us to go.”

  “…Go?” Eggs echoed, confused.

  “We’re gonna go be a family again!” Baby perked up almost instantly, green eyes bright in her excitement. “Daddy’s getting me a new body so I’m not stuck in here anymore. And then we’ll go somewhere else, and we can finally live together again. Like how it was supposed to be.”

  “Just the three of us. I’d hoped Shawn could come, but he didn’t follow me back like I expected…but since he and Caleb passed on, that means I can give Cindy the attention she deserves. It’s gonna be a rough road…she has some issues like ya do, Alex. She needs her brother.” William whispered softly in his ear.

  He swallowed again, this time around a large lump lodged in his throat. “B-but you…”

  William turned him so they were facing each other, his silver eyes running over his face as he went to his knees. Eggs held back a shudder when he gripped his hands into his. “Alex…I messed up. But like I promised ya, I’ll do whatever it takes to show ya I’ve changed. I’ll do whatever you want with this place, we’ll go wherever you want…I’ll even get help for myself to fix what’s wrong with me.”

  He seemed so sincere. Eggs tried to keep staring into his eyes but he had to glance away. Baby was there watching the two of them, smiling when she realized Eggs was looking at her. What was he supposed to do? The thought of going with them was tempting. He had no real life when he thought about it. He just…worked. And now he could protect his sister and maybe keep his Dad from hurting any more kids.

  “Where’s Mike and Jeremy?” He finally managed to ask.

  He jumped slightly when William reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes again. “Alex. Ya wanted to see Cindy, and I bought ya here. If I let ya see them, then afterwards I need your answer. No more messin’ around.”

  “D-Dad, you can’t…it’s too soon and…” He tried to say.

  “No Alex. Either ya comin’ with me and Cindy or…” William hesitated, something dark passing through his eyes. “Or I’ll make sure there’s nothin’ holding ya back here. If that means I gotta get rid of Mike and Newbie than I will.”

  Eggs couldn’t help but scowl, brushing the man’s hand off him. “So it’s either agree to come with you or you force me to. That’s not a choice.”

  “I’m not losing you again. I’d rather you be mad at me for awhile than leave ya behind.”

  “…Where are they?? You said they were in with…with Cindy.”

  He snorted, standing back up. “I lied. Ya pissed me off back there. They’re locked up somewhere so I didn’t have to worry about Mikey causin’ trouble for me.”

  “I want to see them.” He mumbled, staring the man in the eye. “…please.”

  William sighed, glancing over to where Baby was watching them. “Fine. If they try anythin’ though, Alex…I’m getting rid of them. I’m not lettin’ them get in the way again.”

  “Them ‘getting in the way’ seems to have gone pretty well for you.” Eggs pointed out hotly.

  “Alex?” Baby looked at him, confused. “Why are you and Daddy arguing? Did something happen?”

  He hesitated. Cindy had no idea what William had done. And trying to explain it to her now, in front of the man, would be impossible. Or get him hurt. He sighed and shook his head. He hoped maybe another day he could get through to her.

  “Dad and I both have plans for the family.” He said softly.

  “But…why does Alex have plans? You…” She frowned as much as her faceplates let her. “You told us all that you were unhappy…And lonely. Why do you want to go back to that and not be with us?”

  “Because that’s my life.”

  William made a noise and shook his head. “Cindy, we’ll be right back okay? Once Alex is done with his friends, we’ll get ya out of there okay?”

  She perked right up, smiling as she nodded. Eggs sighed, wishing he could tell her not to get her hopes up but kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t imagine what William would do if he blurted out anything. The man made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt even him. Shaking his head, he turned for the door as William turned the lights off before leading him out of the room.

  “Come on.” William said shortly.

  “W-wait.” Eggs called, pulling on the IV. “Can this come out?? It’s empty…”

  He paused, looking the IV bag over. Seeing it was, indeed, empty, he nodded and carefully removed the needle. Eggs winced at the odd feeling. He hated needles. He made a face when William tossed the empty bag to the floor and ripped off a piece of the gauze on Eggs’ waist to wrap it around the slightly bleeding hole in his arm.

  “How does it feel?” The older man asked.

  He swallowed. “Okay. Uh, it doesn’t hurt at all? And, uh, I think it’s healed up?”

  “Good. Should be fine, so long as ya don’t get stabbed again. And since Cindy is locked up that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  He glared at him. He’d nearly died from the Scooper because his dad had designed all this shit down here to be deathtraps. But he forced himself to let it go. He was still playing along, and he needed to see Mike and Jeremy. And really, he knew he didn’t want him dead…

  He jumped when William suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him forward. He stiffened when the older man kissed his forehead, wrapping his arms around him. Hesitating, Eggs sighed and hugged him back. He hated that a simple hug from his serial killer father made him feel relieved and comforted.

  Maybe he was just as messed up.

  “Your lucky, you know.” William suddenly said as he pulled away, beginning to walk down the hallway again. Eggs quickly trailed after him. “Before ya woke up, Mikey boy tried to fight me. Like he could honestly do anythin’. But I thought maybe I should leave him somewhere and watch him get pulled to pieces as I waited for ya to wake up.”

  Eggs flinched. “Okay…?”

  “But I knew if he was your friend, ya might not like that. So I kept him alive.” He glanced back at him, silver eyes bright as he smirked.

  “…thanks…” He replied softly, knowing it was what William wanted to hear.

  He winced when the man motioned for him to hurry up, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they walked together. It was a normal, parental gesture. He’d seen other people do it before. Frowning, he tried to keep in step given William’s stride was far longer than his, and waited for the man to make it weird. He kept doing so; possessive little motions that made Eggs feel nauseous.

  “Before we go in.”

  They stopped. Eggs paused; they were in a control room that looked familiar. He glanced around, spotting the panel that a few days ago (weeks? He couldn’t remember now. Fucking Christ how long had he been down here?) he’d repaired. They’d entered through a door he hadn’t even noticed before as he stared at the open door ahead that showed a familiar entranceway.

  “Alex.” He jumped, focusing on William. The man crossed his arms. “Before we go in, I need you to be honest with me. You’re friends with them, right? To the point where ya wanted them to move into the house with you?”

  How did he knew that? Had he mentioned it? He felt so nervous he couldn’t remember anymore. He took a deep breath and nodded.

  “Can’t say I’d approve, but…guess I can’t really say much since I left ya on your own…” That was the first thing William had said that Eggs would completely agree with. “Well, if nothin’ else I raised ya right. Seems like we have…similar tastes.”

  Eggs had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t want to know. “You said I could decide what you do with Circus Baby’s.”

  “I did.” William looked surprised at the change of topic.

  “…I want you to give it to Mike.”

**_CRASH_ **

  Eggs jumped when William almost immediately kicked a nearby chair, sending it flying into the opposite wall. “I fuckin’ _knew_ you’d say that, goddamit!”

  “D-Dad, I-“

  “No, stop.” William took a deep breath, running a hand over his eyes. “I’m not mad at you. But fucking _Christ_ kid, does it have to be Schmidt? Fuckin’ little righteous prick that always pretends to know better than everyone else?”

  “He loves the franchise though, and he’s done more for it than anyone else has.” Eggs argued.

  “No, I did! Every name change, every fuckin’ new policy, every rebranding, I did that to make sure the one thing I had didn’t get soiled. And look where that got me. Bleedin’ out kids that have parents that don’t bother lookin’ for them…”

  Against his better judgement, Eggs reached out and took William’s hand, watching the man deflate almost instantly. “Mike and Jeremy are the only survivors of what you did. Even if I…didn’t get to know them personally, I would’ve wanted to give them the house. The restaurant. Because my family ruined their lives, Dad.”

  William softened immediately, sighing and pressing their foreheads together. “Sometimes I worry about how nice you are…heart’s too big, Alex.”

  He swallowed roughly at the closeness. He hated seeing how easily he could reel the man in. Like having a dog on a leash. Didn’t this prove Eggs had a responsibility to protect other people from the man? If he didn’t go with him, wouldn’t that made any future person William killed his fault? His brain told him no, but the nauseous feeling in his gut whispered yes.

  “I just want to see that they’re safe. Show them I’m okay.” He tried to sound normal, but it felt hollow.

  “…would leavin’ them in charge make ya feel better?” He nodded, staring up at the man. William sighed, gently stroking Eggs’ face with his thumb. “Fine. Then I will. Now go see them.”

  Just like that? Eggs stared at him in shock. Granted, saying it was one thing, it was another to _actually_ do so. But William looked resigned, giving a tired smile when Eggs didn’t leave. He nudged him towards the door, sitting in the chair he’d kicked earlier.

  “I love you more than I hate him.” He explained with a shrug.

  He winced, feeling himself paling. “…thanks, Dad.”

  He went for the door, feeling the man’s eyes on him. His heart hurt. Just when he finally was convinced he’d found a place for himself, friends, something to look forward to…He knew he’d be leaving it behind. This was likely him saying good bye. His eyes stung behind his glasses but he stubbornly blinked them away. He couldn’t show that he was upset, not in front of William.

  The long hallway with four doors laid before him, but the familiar gold plush wasn’t on the chair at the end. He felt oddly disappointed that Plushtrap wasn’t there. Sighing he went for the only one of the doors that was closed, knowing that he’d find the two behind it. He could do this.

  He was his father’s child after all.


	13. Left Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got The Twisted Ones two weeks ago and read it. The coming chapters will contain things from TTO, but if you haven’t read it yet I promise you won’t notice the “spoilers” haha. Forgive the time length between chapters again. But TTO gave me some inspiration, and now with the hint that we might get a new game, I’m pretty hyped! Hope you all enjoy~

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood, child abuse,

Xxxxxx

  _“You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” The large man hissed at him as he installed a doggie door into Alex’s room. “You’re lucky we took someone like you in at all. Coming from a single father and that awful diseased place? You’re probably infecting our house right now.”_

_Alex sat there and watched him, hands smoothing over the fur of his plush of Spring Bonnie. It had since lost its softness, but his hands needed something to do to stay calm. He didn’t say anything to what the man, his supposed new father, was spitting at him. He did that often. And when his mother brought him dinner, sliding it through the new doggie door, she would mumble about him needing a woman’s touch and how he must have been raised by a beast with his lack of manners._

_Their behavior confused him. Alex was numb most days, still unable to comprehend that his life had changed so drastically. Caleb and Dad were gone. They had gone when he woke up in the morning and then there had been policemen at his door. They said someone had called in his Dad missing and he said that couldn’t be true. But they hadn’t listened and suddenly he was sent to a new family to look after him._

_“They’ll come back though.” He told Plushtrap, sitting on his bed as he read the book he’d read last week. “We just have to wait it out. And then Dad will take us home, and Caleb and I can talk about how different things are.”_

_He imagined Plushtrap nodding. “They’ll be proud of you once we go home. Maybe they’ll even fix your eyes!”_

_He hesitated then, sighing as he fiddled with his glasses. They had worked fine but lately he had to squint to read and put the book closer to his face. Caleb used to try and hide his glasses until Dad yelled at him. Suddenly he didn’t want to keep reading as he put his book on the floor and curled up on his bed, hugging Plushtrap close._

_“I want to go home…” He admitted softly into his fur._

_Sometimes when he couldn’t stomach re-reading the books he had, Alex daydreamed for hours on end. Stuck in that room, staring out the window, it was all he had. He only had the one window, the bed, a small bookcase with books he had from home and a bucket. So he’d sit under the window with Plushtrap and imagine what would happen when Dad found him. Hug him, plead for forgiveness in taking so long, explain how he never wanted to leave in the first place. Maybe he’d punch his father in the face once he realized how miserable Alex had been for so long…_

_He was shocked when his mother came into his room and finally brought him out. He didn’t know how long it’d been, but he didn’t question it. He was washed and given new clothes and suddenly plopped down in the living room with a woman that he thought he’d never see again._

_“…Amelia?” He asked, wondering if he was daydreaming again._

_She gave him a smile that never reached her eyes. “Alex. I’m glad they let me come see you on your birthday.”_

_It was his birthday? How old was he? He asked and she made a face. Glanced out the door and Alex could see his new parents standing there, listening. They glared at him but he didn’t mind. They were always unhappy anyway._

_“You’re turning fifteen today.” She cleared her throat suddenly. “You know, you look…so much like your dad…”_

_“Is he dead?” He asked._

_She hesitated. “I don’t know, Alex. They never found him…and maybe sometimes, it’s…better that way.”_

_It took him a moment to recall that she’d lost Caleb too. That he’d gone missing with Dad. But instead of being upset, it just made him feel…angry. Better this way? Did she not realize what he’d gone through day after day? It wasn’t normal, Dad had never made him feel like this before in his life._

_“Nothing’s better.” He spat. “He left me behind. What’s your excuse?”_

_“Alex…”_

_“Things must be going well for you now that there’s no one you’re forced to look after on weekends huh? Dad always tried to explain it to Cindy but she never could understand why her mom hated having her around.”_

_Amelia clenched her jaw. “That’s not true at all. I loved Cindy.”_

_“Cuz she looked like you!” He shot at her._

_“You were never meant to be my problem!” She shouted back._

_Alex stared at her, hating that he was crying. Boys don’t cry, his father told him. Boys don’t cry, and they don’t flinch when father raised the belt at him, and they don’t argue with their mother when mother decided he didn’t deserve dinner. But he was, and Amelia just stared at him like she’d never seen him before._

_“I…I got you…this…” She handed him a bag full of paper. Her hands were shaking and suddenly there were deep lines in her face that he’d never seen before. “Happy Birthday, Alex.”_

_And then she was gone. She whispered something to his parents before the door closed. He carried the bag upstairs when he was locked back into his room and found a new series of books inside. It felt odd, having something new that he couldn’t recall lines from. It was about a boy that grew up abused and turned out to be a hero, and Alex wondered if she knew._

_He often wondered about her. And about Uncle Scott and Aunt Jill. He never saw either of them. If Amelia could find him, why couldn’t they? Did they not care? Eventually he couldn’t keep caring himself. He needed to worry about survival, because mother was feeding him less and less and father yelled more and more. And he got the belt out too often now for Alex to feel safe. So he began planning his escape._

_Dying on the streets was far more appealing than dying here, isolated and stuck._

Xxxxx

  “Holy fuck, Omelet??”

  Eggs flinched when he opened the door and there was movement. He then sighed when Mike hugged him, rolling his eyes as the guard pulled away. “Gross, you’ve got blood all over me! The fuck, Mike??”

  “We thought you were going to die! And I’m fine, you prick.” Mike shot back at him, eyeing him over.

  The room was a fake bedroom. Eggs paused, seeing Jeremy on the bed. He waved and Eggs sighed. They looked fine, except for the blood on Mike’s face that apparently stemmed from his nose. But then he noticed that the reason Jeremy was laying down was his fake leg was on the carpet next to the bed, snapped in half.

  “What happened?” He demanded, looking between them both.

  Jeremy made a noise. “Mike thought he was superman or some shit and punched your lovely father in the face. Apparently, he thought that was a smart move when we’re stuck in his underground bunker of torture.”

  “I was mad okay??” Mike mumbled, face pink.

  “So Daddy dearest pulls some tentacle bullshit and tosses us in here. After he slammed Mike against the dresser.” Jeremy shrugged. “He had tossed me in here first though and my leg broke. Luckily besides something scurrying around that we keep hearing, we were left alone.”

  Eggs hesitated, staring at the broken prosthetic and then at Mike’s bloody face. “Why are you…here though?”

  “What the fuck does that mean?? You seriously think we wouldn’t haul ass over here if you’re fucked up somewhere?” Jeremy demanded hotly.

  “Your, uh…sister called us.” Mike cut in gently as he wiped at his face and missed most of the blood. “Said to come to your house. We found you in the bathtub. We seriously thought you were dead, and then… _he_ showed up and said he could help you down here.”

  At ‘he’, Mike motioned violently at a camera that was hidden in the corner. He then glared at it and flipped it off. Eggs sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. They weren’t making this easy but he couldn’t blame them after everything they’d been through.

  “…you shouldn’t have come…” He said.

  “Alex, we weren’t going to leave you on your own.” Mike put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot. We just want to help where we can.”

  “Don’t get sappy on me here Mike.”

  He glanced at the camera again and sat on the bed next to Jeremy. The blond engineer eyed him wearily and sighed. He was rubbing at his eye patch before he leaned back against the pillows and grabbed the small Freddy plush that had been there and tossed it towards the closet.

  “You know, kid. I’ve spent enough time having people telling me shit news to recognize that look on your face. And since your asshole dad is likely upstairs waiting for you, I’m going to assume you’re sitting there, wondering how to tell us that pedophilic piece of shit is convincing you to leave with him.”

  Mike jolted like he’d been electrocuted. “What? He can’t be-”

  “He’s leaving with Cindy…in a new body. And if I go with him, he might not hurt anyone else.” Eggs cut him off.

  The guard stared at him in horror. “You’re…you’re kidding, right? You really think having you around will stop a serial killer from killing anyone else?!”

  Jeremy gave him an unimpressed look. “What other bullshit did he tell you?”

  “…That he’d shut this all down. Give up his rights to Freddy’s.” Eggs rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses.

  “And you believe that?” Jeremy went on in that same tone.

  He bristled defensively. “Look, what else do you want from me?? I woke up from having my intestines scooped from my body to find out my dad’s not dead, that he’s a tentacle robot and that he wants me to go with him somewhere to look after my dead sister! Forgive me if I’m a little out of it cuz that’s a lot to take in!”

  “All he’s done is lie to you, Eggs. He…he molested you!” Mike pointed out, faltering slightly when Eggs flinched.

  “Let me guess.” Jeremy began, moving so he was staring straight in the younger boy’s eyes. “He has you to fuck with, so how could he possibly want to fuck with some random kid when you move?”

  Eggs frowned. “What?”

  “And if he’s just, quite literally, fucking you,” Jeremy went on ruthlessly even though Eggs and Mike both cringed, “You can live with yourself because you’re preventing him from fiddling other kids. Is that about right?”

  “Jeremy…” Mike tried to cut in but stopped once the blond glared at him.

  “So, I should tell him to fuck off, get all three of us killed, and die with dignity?” Eggs hissed.

  The blond laughed humorlessly. “Better than being his pet, ain’t it?”

  Eggs stood up without realizing it, glaring at him. “Is that how you feel better about things??”

  Jeremy scuffed at him. “You realize you have no fucking idea what you’re talking about right? You never had to put up with him once his psycho-crazy switch was flipped. We have. And if you really think you’re a good enough lay that he’ll never look at some poor bastard again you’re really messed up.”

  Mike grabbed him before he could lunge. “No, not again! Jeremy stop being a dick and provoking him!”

  “No! Not until the kid fucking realizes he’s not responsible for that fucking asshole! He’s not your fucking problem!” Jeremy snapped angrily, not deterred when Eggs hissed and swung at him. “You’re his child! It’s not your fault he went off and started murdering a bus-full of kids, and it’s not your fault that he likes touching them. If you go with him, you’re just proving that he can manipulate you.”

  “What else am I supposed to do?!” Eggs demanded and then, embarrassingly, burst into tears.

  He barely caught sight of Jeremy’s face, looking shocked, before Mike was turning him around and hugging him too tightly. He tried to shove him away. A panicked voice in his head was reminding him of the camera and that William might be watching everything but he slumped against the guard and decided it didn’t matter anymore. He moved his glasses aside and wiped at his eyes slowly.

  “We’d never live with ourselves knowing you were out there with him. And you deserve better than that.” Mike whispered softly.

  “B-but Cindy, and…” He stopped, hating the sound of his voice shaking.

  “I’m sorry but she’s dead, Alex. You can’t live your life in the best interest of a ghost.”

  Despite himself, Jeremy laughed. “That’s rich, coming from you Mike.”

  “Shut up, Jeremy.”

  Eggs managed to laugh at that. He pulled away from Mike’s grip and made sure his glasses were on properly. “Then what are we going to do? Because he’s not going to let us walk out of here.”

  “Suicide pack.” Jeremy offered.

  Mike glared at him. “Stop saying that!”

  “What?? It’s a good option okay!”

  Eggs sighed, hand going to his side. Despite the skin having healed, he couldn’t help but rub at where he’d been ripped open. After seeing William’s temper, he knew he wasn’t going to listen to a rejection. And he didn’t want either Jeremy or Mike killed because of his decision. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

  “You both are going back to the pizzeria.” He began slowly, thinking. “And once you’re out of here, I’ll be attempting my own escape.”

  “No.” Mike said immediately.

  “Jeremy’s down a leg and Dad’s got that tentacle… _thing_ from Baby’s Control Room acting as his skeleton. We’re not going to make it unless I convince him to let you both go.” Eggs argued.

  Jeremy sighed. “And here we were rushing in, thinking we’d be rescuing you.”

  “I’d rather die than let that smug asshole lay his gross hands on you or Jeremy or even me. We escape together or-” Mike started but stopped when they all heard something moving around.

  Eggs frowned. He recognized those noises. “Bonbon?”

  The door opened slowly. Confused, Eggs watched it but despite the door being half way open, there wasn’t anyone there. But the noise started up and a small little figure dashed into the room behind the bed. That definitely wasn’t Bonbon.

  “Great, what the fuck was that?” Jeremy grumbled.

  Blinking, Eggs leaned over the bed. “Plush?”

  The small yellow bunny stared back at him with dead eyes. It cocked its head to the side and the technician sighed and picked him up. Mike made a noise behind him, looking surprised at the small plush when it turned to look at him and Jeremy.

  “Is that a goddamn plush of Springtrap?? Are you fucking with me?!” Jeremy hissed.

  “He’s Plushtrap.” Eggs answered. “He was in here a few days ago. Guess he heard you guys in here and you scared him.”

  The engineer’s good eye twitched. “We scared him, right….”

  “I wondered why you weren’t on your chair…wait, Ballora mentioned something had escaped. Was that you??”

  Plushtrap stared at him and then shrugged in an oddly childish manner. Eggs suddenly wondered if it was haunted too and felt odd about holding a dead child. Making a face, he set him down on the bed but paused.

  “Well...that gives me an idea.”

Xxxxx

  Eggs hesitated at the door, taking a deep breath. He needed to steel his nerves before facing him again. He glanced back and saw Mike give him a nod.  Swallowing he opened the door and wasn’t surprised to see William sitting at the computers. He saw Jeremy sitting on the bed, hands moving as he spoke to Mike but there was no sound. Good, Eggs had been banking on that.

  “Dad.” He called.

  “Ya tell Schmidt he’s lucky I don’t cut his hands off for touchin’ ya like that.” William said casually as he leaned back in his chair. He then smiled and glanced at Eggs. “So what did they say? Especially if ya were swingin’ at Newbie like that.”

  He shrugged. “Jeremy wasn’t fond of the idea of me leaving. He’ll get over it though.”

  “Good. I’d hate to have to hurt him…”

  William stood up. Eggs struggled not to flinch when he patted his head and moved past him, heading for the fake room where the guards were waiting. He immediately trailed after him, not wanting his dad to be in the same room as his friends on his own. Mike glared at William but didn’t do anything else as he stood on guard next to Jeremy.

  “Is this the part where I have to let ya leave alive and mostly uninjured?”

  “Don’t antagonize them.” Eggs cut in softly.

  William crossed his arms but still had a smug look on his face. “Fine.”

  “Well, you broke my leg, so it’s gonna be a slow ass escape.” Jeremy grumbled, glaring at him.

  “I may have tossed ya a bit too hard. Didn’t mean to.” He shrugged. “Could probably build ya a better leg honestly.”

  The blond twitched. “Right cuz I want something made by _you_ on my person. You already fucked with enough of my limbs.”

  William opened and closed his mouth before rolling his eyes. “I may be at fault for the leg…and the eye.”

  “And my brain you dick!”

  “Oh right. Guess that was me too…” He huffed. “Then let me fix it, Newbie. I can give ya a leg that looks like a real one, could even make ya have sight in that eye again. Can’t do nothin’ bout the head though.”

  “Why would I let you fuck around with that shit when I don’t even trust you to be standing in the same room as me??”

  William raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a ‘you’ problem to me. I’m givin’ ya an offer. I fix my mistakes, Newbie, unless midway through some ghost kids chase me into being skewered.”

  “Do they know the way out? Mike could help Jeremy.” Eggs cut in.

  “They’d never find their way out. Place is designed to be complicated in case we needed time to hide shit.” The older man shrugged casually. “Guess I can show ya out, have Alex wait here…What’s a few more minutes?”

  Eggs tried not to hesitate as he grabbed the man’s hand. “Thanks…”

  William glanced down at him and gave a crooked smirk. “Ya best be right here when I get back.”

  There was something dark in his eyes as he said it. Eggs tried not look guilty as he nodded. Mike helped Jeremy up, shouldering his arm to support his weight towards the door, and with both of them busy, William grabbed his chin and pressed a kiss against his forehead. He almost flinched away but managed to keep still. Content, the black haired man then sighed and looked nonplussed as a long wired slipped from under his clothes and wrapped itself around Jeremy’s waist.

  “What the-Afton! Get your fucking weird tentacles off of me!”

  “Be good~” William cooed at Eggs and shut the door behind him.

  Alone, Eggs waited and listened. He heard them yelling still, but it wasn’t anything that he needed to be worried about. He made sure they were gone and still waited an extra five minutes before making his move. Sighing, he went to the closet and Plushtrap held out its arms to be held. Reluctantly, Eggs picked him up.

  “Okay, buddy. You get me to the Module and I’ll take you home with me. Deal?”

  It nodded. Eggs went to the other door and down the dark hallway, wincing slightly when he bumped into a small table with a lamp on it. He turned it on, surprised when it worked. Granted it made the hallway even eerier but at least he wouldn’t trip over anything and risk getting caught.

  At the end of the hall was a kitchen, full of plastic kitchenware. But next to it was a vent. It was small, but luckily Eggs had enough practice when it came to shimming around in enclosed spaces that he could make it work. He let Plushtrap go first, watching the small toy waltz in, and hesitated only to search himself.

  “Fuck….Cindy took my HandUnit.” He realized, noticing it wasn’t at his waist. “Stay close to me, I don’t have a light.”

  It was pitch black inside. And it reeked of mold and dank air. He winced, but kept going. He listened to Plush’s pattering feet, and when they came to a corner that they needed to turn, the little toy would wait and pull Eggs’ hand down the new passage. He tried to map out everything in his head, knowing that this area was above Ballora’s room, but there were so many twists and turns.

  “We almost there?” He asked despite the plush not having a voice to respond with.

  He froze when there was a loud noise. The vent shook under him. He looked around in the dark, wondering what was out there. It sounded like something was on the other side of the vent, but that was impossible…wasn’t it?

  He yelped when something hit the right side of the vent hard enough that it dented. He felt the metal pressing in near his shoulder, and tried to wiggle around it. It came again, making him wince and forced the breath from his lungs, but then the vent was shaking and moving and it disconnected from the rest. He scrambled for a hold, fingers barely missing the edge, before he fell.

  Something grabbed his wrists. It was cold and smooth, and he hissed at the pain that came through his arm into his shoulder from the abrupt stop. “Fuck…ow.”

  “Language.” A musical voice chided him softly.

  He paused. “Ballora??”

  “Forgive us for not coming sooner. We were…occupied.” She pulled him up, and wrapped his arms around her thin neck. “Hold on to me tightly so I can get us down.”

  It was awkward. He held her neck, and then she grabbed his legs and pulled those up against her. He was parallel to the ground as he wrapped his legs around her waist. If she wasn’t a robot, this might be…very weird. Especially when his head brushed against her chest and he felt himself blushing despite himself.

  “Tight.” She reminded him before they were moving.

  He winced as she somehow made her way across the ceiling. It was jerky, and definitely not a smooth ride. He felt like he’d slip and fall at any moment. But then they came to the wall, and he screamed when she leapt off and somehow managed to stick to the wall. His eyes were wide and he was breathing hard as she began lowering them.

  “Never…do that again.” He begged her once his feet hit solid ground.

  “I cannot promise that. You are not out of danger yet.” She responded.

  “Eggs!”

  He blinked in the dark. “Bonbon, is that you-?”

  He yelped when something hard and small hit him in the chest, hard enough to knock him off his feet. He heard the music box sound of Ballora laughing at him as he sighed and grabbed the small blue bunny off his chest.

  “You realize I can’t see shit in here, right?” He grumbled.

  “Oops, sorry! We forgot.” Came Freddy’s voice, and then his blue eyes lit up.

  It was enough to see them all. Foxy helped him to his feet, hesitating before dusting him off. Eggs glanced down at Bonbon, seeing her smiling, and then sighed. Well, this hadn’t been part of the plan at all. But maybe this was a better option than his previous plan.

  “You guys know what’s going on, right…?”

  Foxy nodded sadly, yellow eyes glowing as well. “Even though we’re…locked out of Ennard, we can still see and hear things.”

  “Ennard?” Eggs echoed softly.

  “It’s what he likes to be called.” Ballora explained. Her limbs were backwards, still holding on to the wall. Eggs gaped at her; how could she manage _that_?? “Forgive us for not telling you before. Baby agreed to…talk to you, so we could try to explain ourselves slowly. But when she heard about your father, she…”

  He nodded. “She lost her shit and nearly killed me.”

  “We thought maybe…it would be okay. We’d cut our ties to these bodies, and join you inside Ennard. We’d get you home, and healed, and then things could be okay…” Foxy said.

  “We never thought… _he’d_ ….be back.” Ballora mumbled, and a shudder went through all of them.

  Eggs bit his lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he…”

  “We don’t blame you, Eggs!” Bonbon cut in, poking his nose with her paw. “Mr. Afton’s our father too. Even if parts of us hate him for causing us such pain and using us, we still love him.”

  “But loving someone means you know their flaws.” Freddy pointed out solemnly.

  He…hadn’t expected such a thing from Freddy. He sighed. “Yeah, I guess so…”

  “But now Ennard is inside Mr. Afton, and Baby’s lost complete control to the girl.” Ballora went on softly, climbing off the wall. Her limbs rotated until they were back to normal. “She will not turn on him. And we cannot regain back control of Ennard. He is trapped inside of himself.”

  “So you’re all Ennard…but there’s also Baby in there, and someone that kinda…runs Ennard?” He asked.

  “Yep! I ask to run Ennard sometimes, cuz I like being so tall. But Ennard is mainly Ennard unless he needs us.” Bonbon answered.

  That made…six different people inside one body. Not even counting the ghosts. Eggs rubbed his temples; that had to be so complicated. How did they not go insane?? Then again, dealing with them and having them almost kill him and wear him out the door…He rolled his eyes. Okay now that all made more sense.

  “I need to get out. Dad should have released Mike and Jeremy by now, and he’s going to notice I’m gone. I can’t let him find me.” He explained hurriedly.

  Freddy shifted, glancing between Foxy and Ballora. “Well…that’s kinda why we got you.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Mr. Afton…likely assumed you’d run.” Foxy shrugged sheepishly when Eggs stared. “The elevator’s been turned off, and the clearance codes changed. We’re trying to find the new ones in the system, but…”

  Ballora stepped forward slightly, staring at Eggs even though her eyelids were still closed. “The only way out now is getting to one of the computers and finding them…but it will only allow an owner to do so.”

  “…which means me.” He mumbled, sighing.

  They looked away. Almost like chided children. Eggs couldn’t be mad at them, they had helped him. Had been trying to help him this whole time he was stuck with his Dad. And he should’ve known his Dad would’ve suspected something. Maybe he should’ve stayed and played him longer. Get his trust. But it was too late now.

  “Can you lead the way?” He asked them.

  “We can’t, we don’t know the facility as well as the repair area. We can only come with you.” Bonbon pointed up. “But he can!”

  Eggs glanced up, unable to see the ceiling in the dark. But when Foxy looked up, eyes still glowing, there was a shine off two dead, black eyes. Plushtrap…he’d almost forgot him in the heat of nearly falling to his death.

  “Well, if Plushtrap doesn’t mind a small detour…” He mused.

  The plush hopped from the vent without any hesitation. Eggs winced, expecting him to fall flat and maybe break apart on the floor, shattered. But Foxy caught him easily. The small toy hopped from the fox’s arms and pointed to another vent.

  “Fucking great, what I love. More vents.”


	14. All I See is Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive the length and the huge amounts of time you've all be patiently waiting. I'm doing my best to keep at this and finish it, especially since Scott keeps throwing us curveballs :P

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood, child abuse,

  

Xxxxxx

  “You’re making a mistake.” Jeremy said softly.

  William glanced down at the blond man, raising an eyebrow at him. Mike was ahead of them, walking the halls, as the other two followed. He was still helping Jeremy stay upright with a few chrome wires that slid from under his skin; he’d tried to hold him and Jeremy had snapped at him.

  “That kid adores you. Even now. Seems like you were at least a half decent parent since not even remembering you molesting him got him to hate you…but you doing this is gonna fuck him up, Afton. He’ll hate you.” The engineer went on.

  “Maybe ya right.” He mused.

  Jeremy looked surprised at him admitting it. William almost laughed. “Then why? He’s happy here. Mike mentioned that the robots here seem to really like him, and the kid gets along with me and the other guys. Why are you trying to take him away from that?”

  He stopped walking. Mike kept going, not noticing their conversation. Good, he’d prefer if that smug hero-type kept out of his business. And in the past few years, William had missed talking to real people. Especially little Jeremy. Seeing the boy grown up, well…there was something almost like pride in his chest.

  “My boy grew up without me, Newbie. I thought, if nothin’ else, at least he had Scotty to look after him. But that didn’t happen and he went through hell.” He sighed. “How do I fix something like that?”

  “By letting him live his life and make his own fucking choices.” Jeremy answered.

  William grinned at that. He eyed the shorter man, pausing at the eyepatch and the scars hidden under his blond hair. He hesitated only a moment before reaching out and ruffling his hair, still as soft and fluffy as it was years ago. Jeremy squawked and batted his hands away indignantly, cheeks pink.

  “Ya know…I am honestly glad you’re doing well.” He said. “Sometimes, I…do find myself doin’ things I don’t like. Or even I don’t understand. Killin’ my son…”

  “You need _help_ , Afton. You trust the kid to look after things, right? You once trusted Mike and Fritz enough to let us take things over. You wanna be alive, whatever, fine. You’re alive and there’s no undoing that. But stop forcing the kid into these decisions.”

  Mike had heard the noise, stopping and looking back at the two of them. He stared. William felt himself clamming up. He eyed the guard and he saw Jeremy attempt to roll his eye. Eyes narrowing in distrust, the black haired man began walking again and pulling Jeremy along until they passed Mike.

  “We almost out?” Mike asked.

  “About there.”

  As they continued, coming across stairs that led towards the exit William was leading them to, he pondered their talk. Glancing at Jeremy and Mike, he had to admit, it brought about a clear thought. He was roughly in his fifties now, and he knew he’d done some horrible things. He had regretted hurting Caleb once things had settled and he could think properly again, but his pride made him unable to admit it out loud.

  He was selfish. It was a trait of his since he was a child. He saw something he wanted and he did what he needed to own it, and never share it. Henry and he had clicked because they were similar. They both owned certain designs and ideas for the restaurants, and so they never got in each other’s way. When he met Scott, he had to _own_ him. When Amelia arrived, she was _his_ until he didn’t want her anymore.

  And it was the same for Alex. Those beautiful purple eyes that had stared up at him from the corner of Henry’s office, calm and content as his twin wailed; how he had giggled and smiled when William first held him. He loved his children, he honestly did, but Alex…he was special. His legacy he wanted to leave behind. A smart, beautiful boy to take over Afton Robotics and turn it into something…better. It hadn’t worked out that way, of course, _not yet_ , but that had been the plan.

  William never once thought anything of how he tried to keep Alex close. How he hugged him tightly and found excuses to keep the boy in his arms. Peppered him with kisses, found reasons to keep Alex in his office with him at work. He never realized what he was doing until the boy had brought up being treated differently. And then it had hit him _why_. He loved Alex, but he also… **loved** him. He tried to squash the urges, the feelings that came with the realization, but nothing he did worked. Working more, pushing himself to exhaustion, focusing on his coworkers and the many waitresses that didn’t mind sneaking off to his office for a quick hook up.

  When he had snapped, part of him regretted it. He didn’t want Alex to feel used or not trust him. He didn’t want to hurt his son. He wished he could regret it more than he did, because part of him still relished in the memory. Even now, he remembered that time fondly and he shouldn’t. There were many times in his life he had lamented that there must be something so profoundly wrong with him, something unfixable, that caused these things to happen.

  And now, he felt like he was at a crossroad. Should he listen to Jeremy’s advice, who he had hurt in the past and knew his son better than he did? Or did he continue with his plans, where he could finally have Alex and Cindy and be with them, starting anew?

  “Do ya have a backup leg at home?” He asked suddenly.

  Jeremy glanced at him suspiciously. “Of course. I’m not a fucking moron.”

  William rolled his eyes at him. “I think I liked you more when ya weren’t such a whiny bitch.”

  “I’ll go running to Mangle and let them know how much that means to me.”

  “Are you really…going to leave with Eggs? I mean, with Alex?” Mike asked suddenly as Jeremy leaned on him.

  William opened the exit door for them, and they were back in the old, now rundown Fredbear’s Family Dinner. He let them walk through the doorway as he stood there, thinking. He didn’t miss the look Jeremy gave him, pleading and honest, or the anxiousness Mike had. They both really seemed to like his son. Even if he didn’t like Mike, personally, he was glad his son had people that he could depend on. They had come running to his rescue the second they had an inkling something was wrong.

  “Maybe…”

  Mike looked hopeful then. But Jeremy tensed, staring at him. Recognizing his tone. William couldn’t help but grin cruelly as the door began to shut between them.

  “Maybe if he hadn’t run.”

Xxxxxx

  “Please tell me we’re done with vents.” Eggs grumbled as he pulled himself from one, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. “My knees are killing me.”

  “Are you always such a complainer?” Bonbon asked.

  Eggs glared at her. “Yes.”

  He finally looked around where they were as Freddy struggled to pull his large body from the vent. Ballora was standing next to him, how she kept getting through the vents when her fingers were fused together he didn’t know, and Plushtrap was standing oddly close at his feet.

  “What is this place?” He asked suddenly.

  It looked like an office. There was a desk of monitors, a chair, a door to either side. It reminded him vaguely of something but he couldn’t put his finger on what. It was small though, and as Foxy crawled into the room as well, it was suddenly very cramped.

  “Well, at least we found a computer.” He sat down in the large chair and turned on the closest monitor.

  “Will you come back?” Foxy asked as he began looking through the files.

  He paused, hands freezing over the keyboard. “What do you mean??”

  “Well…” The white fox hesitated, glancing at the others.

  Ballora put her stiff hand on Eggs’ shoulder. “You have no more reason to return here to us. Mr. Afton has left you your inheritance, you no longer need a job. And if you keep returning here, then it makes it easier for him to find you.”

  He glanced up at her closed eyes, then over to Foxy and Freddy. They looked resigned, like he’d already told them no. But what Ballora said made sense. If he kept coming back here, what would stop his dad from grabbing him? He only needed a moment. And then escaping here, now, would mean nothing.

  And there was still the issue of _should_ he escape.

  “I can’t…” He stopped, trying to steel himself. “I mean, you act like this is it. I might not need money, but it’ll get boring. Not working. And it’s my name on the company, right?”

  It was an obvious bluff. The two animal robots still looked so depressed, and Bonbon was gently patting Freddy’s cheek. Swallowing around the odd lump in his throat, Eggs went back to the computer as he struggled to find how to unlock the doors to the entrance.

  “Alex?”

  He froze, they all did. He slowly glanced at the left door as a head peeked in. He tried to tell himself he was seeing things. Hands trembling, Eggs stood up on shaking knees as Shawn hid behind the doorframe.

  “You’re still…you, Alex…” Shawn whispered, looking sad and _alive_.

  “Shawn? Is that really you??” Eggs asked desperately.

  The small pale boy sniffled, wiping at his black eyes. They were glassy, doll-like, and stark against his nearly white skin. “I’ve missed you, Alex. You’ve grown, and yet you still look just like you did.”

  Eggs stared at him then. Was this real? He knelt down to get a closer look. Shawn was shifting nervously like he always did, big eyes staring at his older brother. It was only when he reached out, wanting to cradle the boy’s cheek and feel that Shawn was real, did something happen.

  The door suddenly shut, cutting the two off. Eggs jumped at the suddenness of it. He turned and saw that Foxy had hit a button by the keyboard. “Wha-Why did you do that?!”

  “Alex?? Alex, what happened? Are you okay?” Shawn’s voice echoed through the thick metal doors.

  “Whoever you think that is, Eggs, it’s not.” Foxy whispered. “That’s one of father’s tricks.”

  Eggs frowned, staring at them all curiously. “What? But it’s my little brother. If Cindy’s here, why wouldn’t Shawn be??”

  “Alex, big brother! Are you okay? T-talk to me!”

  “You can’t trust your eyes, Eggs.” Ballora explained softly.

  “What the hell does that even _mean_?” He demanded. “Stop being all weird and cryptic! What the fuck is going on? My dad is somehow back from the dead, my sister is possessing a robot, and you’re telling me I’m seeing fake ghosts?!”

  None of them said anything. Chewing on his lip, Eggs went and sat down in front of the computer again and started his search over. He tried to ignore the calls of his name from the door. If that really was his brother, then he needed a way out for both of them. He couldn’t imagine what his dad would do if he saw Shawn back as well.

  “You shouldn’t ignore Shawn, Alex, you know what a crybaby he is.” Caleb whispered from the right doorway.

  “B-but why won’t he a-a-answer me??” Shawn sobbed.

  His hands wouldn’t stop shaking. It was fake; it had to be. Caleb was gone, dad killed him, it made no sense for him to be here. And Shawn…well, he didn’t know how Shawn could end up here. Fredbear wasn’t down here, he was at Freddy’s. If that’s even what he haunted, and then Eggs realized he had no idea if his siblings had all been stuck inside robots for the past several years and suddenly there was another lump in his throat.

  “Shut up, shut up…” He hissed under his breath as he clicked the mouse harsher than he meant.

  “Eggs, are you okay?” Bonbon asked him softly as she hefted herself on to his hunched shoulder.

  “Can’t you hear them?” He asked, shaking. “If, if they’re fake, then how do they know my name?”

  Freddy waddled over to the right door, standing there protectively despite it being closed. “They only know what you do.”

  Eggs stopped. What he knew? Frowning, he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. His shoulders were tense and his wrists were hurting from him typing too hard. He knew dad had a laboratory down here, cutting up kids, trying to bring people back to life as some kind of sick ritual. He knew his brothers were dead. He knew Cindy was still forced on this plane because she was caught up in Baby.

  He knew he loved them so much still that it hurt.

  “…what’s the point?”

  He shoved the keyboard away and gripped his hair. The others called to him, asking what was wrong, but he was too busy curling up into himself. What was the point? If he got away, then he would hear about people dying and wonder. He would have to step up and take over the company to stop all of this. There was so much work to do, and Eggs thought maybe he’d gone through enough already.

  “What’s the point of running away when he’ll just come back??” He sobbed into his knees. “He’ll find me. He’s going to hurt other people. And it’ll be my fault for not telling him to stop.”

  Ballora gently reached out and tipped his chin to look at her. “Eggs. You cannot control someone else. No matter how much you force them to bend to you, or how you cage them.”

  “But I should at least _try_ , right?!”

  “And you would be unhappy for the rest of your life.” She pointed out.

  Eggs snorted. “Oh no, not ‘unhappy’! What a change of pace…”

  “You deserve better though, Eggs.” Foxy said.

  “I don’t….I don’t deserve anything.” He wiped at his eyes and stood up. “I…appreciate you guys trying to help me. And, and I’m glad we could…fuck, this sounds like Mike, but I’m glad we’re…friends.”

  “Don’t do this, Eggs.” Freddy begged him.

  He shook his head. “I have to. Maybe eventually, I can come back here. If, if I’m good, if I behave…”

  The words made him feel ill. He had been ‘good’ his entire life. He had behaved, and it never made the belt hurt less from his adopted father. It hadn’t given him his life back as he was forced to watch his teenage years fly by, stuck in a small attic room. Biting his lip again, he shook his head and made for the door.

  “I’m sorry I wasted your time.” He told the animatronics softly, not managing to meet their eyes. “And I promise, first thing I’ll change, is taking out the shock system. Okay? So…so, thanks. For keeping me alive this long.”

  He touched the button near the door, opening the large metal. Just like Freddy’s, his brain realized, and he stepped out of the office. He heard Bonbon saying something but he shut it all out as the door shut behind him and he went to turn down the hall.

  And right into William’s waiting arms.

Xxxxxx

 


	15. We're only kids who lost our way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'll be honest. This fic originally was going to end much differently than this. I had a big showdown planned, Eggs Vs. William in the secret room like in SL but...well, Scott keeps throwing wrenches at me.
> 
> And honestly, since Eggs Benedict has been a lot more...personal for me, I took a different route. One that's painfully familiar to me.

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood, child abuse,

  

Xxxxxx

  “No, no no!”

  Eggs quickly ran over, grabbing the carpeting from the man’s arms. He ignored the dark glare he got in return as he ran his hands over the material to get a feel for it. He frowned.

  “I’ve told your boss this stuff has no traction. So unless you want a lawsuit on your hands when my crippled friend falls down the stairs because you tried to use it anyway, you better get your ass on the phone and get something else.”

  The carpenter grumbled under his breath but took the roll from him and back to the van. Rolling his eyes, Eggs sighed and wiped his forehead. He couldn’t stop sweating. He went to turn the AC higher and tried not to be too nosey as the carpenters did their jobs.

  “Do you want us to move in the new furniture as well?” The head carpenter, Jack, asked him.

  “Yeah. How much extra is that?” Eggs pulled out his wallet.

  Jack glanced away, thinking. “Roughly…twenty per guy. So, if you want them all to help and make this faster-”

  “That’s fine. So long as it’s all done before tonight.”

  It ended up being five more hours before they finished. Eggs inspected each room, finding everything set up just as he wanted it. He paid the men, and then gave them a bonus for putting up with his nitpicking, and quickly rushed them out the door. He headed into the master bedroom- his room- and put the old house key into a drawer since he’d replaced all the locks.

  _“New messages for: Eggs Benedict.”_

  Eggs pulled out the HandUnit from his waist. “Play them for me, would you?”

  _“First message from Ballora: ‘It’s time’. Second message from Henry: ‘meeting at three in the afternoon’. Shall I delete them?”_

  “Nah, I’ll reply to Henry’s later. Keep them though.”

  He hesitated then, looking himself over in the bathroom mirror. He was sweaty and gross, dust covered his clothes, but he just tried to brush it all off before he opened the secret hatch in his bathroom floor. He took the steps two at a time, jogging down the dead, silent halls as his Unit gave him directions.

  As he entered through a door, the lights came on. He winced, shielding his eyes, but perked up upon seeing Ballora on her stage. She stopped dancing when she heard the door, the Minireena’s all twirling in circles excitedly. “Good evening, Mr. Afton.”

  “Don’t start.” He argued, feeling his cheeks getting warm. “And shouldn’t that be Mr. Benedict anyway??”

  “Not since your paperwork was updated.”

  He sighed. He should’ve expected them to give him a hard time, but honestly…well, he was just glad to be able to see them again. “Thanks for the reminder, by the way. Been so busy setting up the house I got a bit…distracted.”

  “As usual. There is some minor resistance against your changes. Nothing worth your time, however.” Ballora went on.

  “Good, thanks. I gotta get in there now so I’ll be back in a little bit okay?”

  Eggs headed for the door that went over the control module. It felt weird to be taking doors and hallways instead of vents. He sighed as he entered through the Funtime Gallery, seeing Foxy was talking to Bonbon who sat in their lap. He wanted to say something but was on a time crunch, so he pressed his hand against the scanner and the door opened in the back.

  He sat down in the small office. He closed the two side doors. And he waited.

  “Alex! Finally, you took forever! I thought you forgot.”

  He managed to smile as the middle monitor turned on. A small, normal looking girl was staring back at him. Her ginger hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a large pink bow, and her green eyes were glowing oddly. She looked about eleven and it was almost a perfect replica of how she looked so long ago.

  “Cindy, how are you doing?” He asked.

  “Good! I got my room, and a new bed, and Daddy got me some toys! It’s nice to be able to play again.”

  His heart ached then. He was glad to see her moving on her own, in a body that wasn’t a clunky, seven-foot robot. Even if there was a surreal wrongness to it, he couldn’t fault her for having fun that she had missed out on. So he just smiled and nodded as she rambled about the new house and the countryside they traveled through.

  “Aight, get, you. Need to talk to him.”

  Eggs stiffened as William shooed the girl out of the camera and sat down. He could hear his sister grumbling but she left with a wave that he returned quickly. His dad waited for her to be gone and then he sighed, leaning back in his chair as he stared at Eggs.

  “Ya look tired, kiddo. Things goin’ okay?”

  “Fine. Been reworking the house is all…” He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, my…changes are going through. In the company. Some people are trying to fight me though, but I’m not too worried. Henry’s backing me so…”

  The man perked up at that. “Changes? Like what?”

  “Removing the shocking system. Turning off their predatory tracking. Making an actual like, restaurant for the robots instead of just renting them out. The orphanages nearby complained but I’m thinking of having a special day where they can bring in orphans for free and make it into an event…” Eggs explained, frowning to himself as he trailed off into thought.

  “Sounds like ya working hard then.” William said softly, silver eyes glinting with pride.

  Eggs had to try to ignore the swelling in his chest, face getting warm. “Thanks, Dad. I’m trying. Um, how’re things with you? Cindy seems happy.”

  “She is. Been quite taken with where we at, been a hassle tryin’ to get her to stay inside at night. Want to settle down for a bit and then maybe work on gettin’ her a tutor or something. She really wants to go to school but that ain’t a good idea.”

  “Maybe she can do school eventually, once she’s adjusted? Or you could put a limiter on her so she doesn’t accidentally hurt anyone.” The boy pointed out.

  “Hmm…ya know, not a bad idea.” William ran a hand through his hair, pausing. “You’ve been eating, right? I know there’s not much ya can do anymore, but still too skinny.”

  Eggs couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Dad, relax. I’m not a moron. I promise my diet isn’t just popcorn and butter…anymore.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “How much is what those worms did to ya?”

  “Don’t start.”

  “Ya wouldn’t even have to know, I could be at their house in a few hours, I don’t leave fingerprints anymore, they’d be properly dealt with. I could even draw it out, hour per year they hurt ya.” William mused.

  “They aren’t worth it.” He argued.

  “Oh, they ain’t, but _you_ are.”

  “Dad.” Eggs said sternly, and William rolled his eyes in a way that made him realize they looked identical when doing so. “I need to get back to work. Henry wants a meeting in a few hours, and I still…have to see Mike and Jeremy.”

  William paused then. Frowned and looked off to the side before his silver eyes glanced back up. “Ya haven’t seen them since they left?”

  “No. They…they kept calling but I didn’t want to explain through a call.” Eggs shrugged self-consciously.

  “Kid, if there’s anyone in this fuckin’ world who would understand, it’s Schmidt.”

  “I know…”

  They fell into silence. Eggs sighed, running a hand through his hair. Finally he straightened himself and dusted himself off again despite there being no other debris for him to clean off. William crossed his legs and leaned back into his chair.

  “If they give ya _any_ trouble…”

  “I know, Dad. Trust me, I know.” Eggs mumbled.

  The man smiled in a bemused way. “Well, hopefully you’ll have some news for me next time, hm?”

  “I’ll call you before then if anything pops up.” Eggs promised easily. He then hesitated and felt his face turning red. “….I, uh, I…I’ll see you later then?”

  “Okay, kiddo.”

  “…Love you, Dad.”

  William’s face softened. “Love you too.”

Xxxxxx

  Eggs wasn’t entirely happy that this meeting of Henry’s turned into a full blown company meeting. Which meant he had to sit awkwardly in Henry’s expensive car as they drove themselves to Freddy’s and standing there in front of more than fifty employees and a few familiar faces as Henry began going over to some company changes.

  He ignored Mike and Mark’s attempts to get his attention. He ignored Jeremy’s glare. He even managed to ignore Spring and Fredbear and the band staring at him. It honestly was easy to pretend they weren’t even there as he listened to Henry’s voice, the older man pacing slightly as he read down a list of what they needed to be expecting in the coming future.

  “There are a few of you we’re considering for the new restaurant. Miss Jessica Smith, I’d like to talk to you about becoming the Head Waitress over there since it seems like we’ll be keeping a mostly female staff…”

  “ _Finally_!” A blond woman hissed.

  “We’d like to expand this restaurant in particular since this is our biggest money maker. We’re working on getting a day guard, Mr. Schmidt we’d like you to sit in on the interviews, Mr. Fitzgerald I’ll be having you look over the Funtime’s to make sure the updates to them don’t mess with any…previous programming.”

  Jeremy snorted loudly in the back, rolling his eyes in a way that showed he’d gotten a glass eye implanted. Eggs winced slightly. A chubby redhaired man next to Jeremy snickered at something the blond man grumbled under his breath.

  “Finally, I want to introduce your new boss. Since my partner has… _retired_ , Mr. Afton here has been learning to take over his father’s place. These new changes are what he’s brought to the table and will be enforced effective immediately.”

  Eggs gave a stiff nod in greeting as he tried to ignore the curious stares. “I look forward to working with all of you, my name is Michael Afton.”

Xxxx

  _“Her name was Michella.” William explained softly as he showed the computer screen. “Your big sister. I would’ve taken her too, I didn’t want to separate twins. Not after Henry... But she was just…too much to handle. And I was already takin’ such a huge risk with keepin’ you.”_

_Eggs stared at the screen. A girl that looked just like him was staring back. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun with a large purple bow, and her purple eyes were more narrowed than his. Michella. He swallowed and looked over at the information about her. How she’d been roughly seven when she’d gone missing from the orphanage, along with her twin, and some details about her blood type, how she had a disorder, and how her twin Michael had-_

_“My name was Michael?”_

_“Yeah. You didn’t respond to it though, so I changed it.”_

_Eggs frowned. “Michael Afton…Has a ring to it.”_

_William chuckled at that, slipping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. “I gotta admit, ya surprised me, kiddo. I wasn’t expectin’ ya to want me to help ya with this.”_

_“Well, when you start seeing your dead siblings and hearing their voices, you get a bit…weird.”_

_“Sorry about that. I meant to turn them off, but it’s a safety measure for down here. Can’t have just anyone messin’ with the computers and experiments.” William paused. “I didn’t think…you’d see Caleb and Shawn though.”_

_“Why wouldn’t I?”_

_“Because those toys are meant to show ya what you feel the most guilty over…”_

_Eggs froze, mouth clicking shut. Oh. He swallowed roughly then, eyes stinging. He did feel guilty over them. For not being a better brother to them. Not being there for Caleb as he suffered from the guilt and aftermath of losing Shawn. For causing him trouble and being the reason Cindy was gone._

_“I…miss them.” He admitted._

_The arm around his shoulders tightened suddenly. “I do too.”_

_He hesitated then. Glanced over to see William’s eyes were far away, thinking, and deciding he might as well keep going with his horrible decision making, Eggs reached out and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck. He hugged him, willingly touching the murderous man for the first time since he’d seen him, and pressed his face into William’s shoulder._

_He felt the man stiffen, not expecting the touch. Eggs ignored the way his glasses pressed oddly against his face. He just hugged his dad and felt him slowly hug him back. Swallowing nervously, he then decided he needed to say what he wanted then, before things got out of hand._

_“I want to stay here. For a while.”_

_William didn’t move. He wasn’t breathing, Eggs realized, there was no heartbeat in the man’s chest and his skin was cold under his clothes. He was hugging a corpse._

_“Alex…” William sighed. “Why?”_

_“Fix things. Take over the company. I wanna help Ballora and the others since…since they’ve had my back down here.” He shrugged. “Just…give me at least a year. Please?”_

_He let him think it over. Eggs pulled away slowly, eyes going back to the computer screen. Something about Michella’s eyes were so familiar to him yet he couldn’t place them. Frowning, he then looked back at William and saw the resigned look._

_“A year…”_

_“I’ll call you and keep you updated. What’s one year, Dad?” Eggs whined slightly._

_William managed to smile at that. “Finally have ya back, and you want me to wait a year…”_

_“You need to focus on Cindy. And I need to focus on work.” Eggs pointed out before shrugging. “I mean, Foxy hates being called a girl all the time by the staff. And Freddy can’t be separated from Bonbon for too long or else he gets anxious. Oh, and Ballora can barely move unless she moves her limbs around! Who else is going to understand that and help them and fix them??”_

_He didn’t notice he’d gotten off on a tangent, causing the man to stare at him fondly. He looked up and caught himself, face burning as he stopped._

_“I guess…a year won’t matter in the long run…” William mused slowly. His eyes were glowing in an odd manner._

_Eggs could’ve collapsed in relief. “Thanks.”_

_“We’ll set up a time to call, since where I’m takin’ Cindy is secret…Didja get all the money I left? Wanna make sure that you’re taken care of at least if I’m gonna leave ya behind for a bit…”_

_They walked through the halls of the underground facility. William let Eggs talk as he explained what he wanted to do, only cutting in to explain how business worked or to explain how the others might react. Mostly, though, Eggs just needed to talk about useless things as they neared the elevator because he was still in shock._

_“You’re…really letting me leave.” He said when the elevator came down._

_“Alex. Kiddo. I love ya. You’re my son. I think Cindy could use you around as she gets…reacquainted with having a body, but if ya really wanna stay with that fuckin’ asshole Schmidt and Newbie, then…I just wanna know you’ll be okay.”_

_Eggs stared at him. William was a serial killer, a pedophile, a monster. And yet Eggs knew he loved him. He loved his dad despite it all because he’d seen monsters. He’d take being molested, being a sex toy for his father, then going back to the people that had adopted him. And even if that made Mike and Jeremy and Ballora and Bonbon hate him, he couldn’t help it._

_“I love you too.” He said around the lump in his throat._

_William paused and looked legitimately surprised at the words. Eggs managed to smile up at him and something seemed to snap inside the man as he reached out and hugged him tightly. It felt different than any of the other hugs he’d given. There was something desperate in it, William’s arms were trembling as he held him._

_“I don’t deserve you…” William whispered into his hair._

_“I forgive you.” Eggs said instead._

_“Ya shouldn’t.”_

_“But I do. And I’m trusting you to be on your own.” He pulled away and gave his dad a serious look. “No incidents. No accidents. You said you’d get help for yourself, you promised me, so do it. Okay?”_

_William stared at him a moment. Reached up and held his face, thumb rubbing over his cheek. Eggs put his own hand over, face stern. Finally, he nodded._

_“Okay…I will.”_

_“Good.” Eggs squeezed his hand before pulling away. “I gotta go…Please, Dad, be careful.”_

_He got on the elevator. It brought him up to the surface without incident, and Eggs had to walk to the house since there were no more bus’s running at this point. He ended up curling up on the dusty couch as he turned his phone off, not wanting to talk to anyone about what he’d done._

_He would explain himself in person._

Xxxxxx

  “Mr. Afton, is there any way you can approve something to get more cleaners?? We have an inspection coming up in the kitchens and we don’t have time to clean everything ourselves when we’re here.” One of the chefs complained.

  “Sod off, you can clean up after yourselves! And you get that giant duck helping you pick up.” One of the cleaner argued hotly.

  “You’re honestly promoting Jessica? Didn’t you hear about all the issues she’s caused?” A waitress asked.

  “Isn’t it kinda sexist to only want girls over at the new restaurant?” A male cashier muttered sullenly.

  Eggs felt his eye twitching. He glared over at where Mark was standing, but the man was just grinning in a smug way. “Okay, listen. These complaints you have, I can deal with. But I need them written down and submitted to your management. Okay? I’m not dealing with you all shouting at me.”

  “Okay, but this is kinda important _now_ so…” The waitress tried to say.

  “Then you’d better run off and write your complaint _now_.” Eggs told her coldly.

  He heard someone laugh behind him and wasn’t surprised to turn and see Jeremy snickering. “Someone’s fucking grumpy today.”

  “And I’m glad you just offered yourself up to help prep for the birthday party coming up.” Eggs snapped at him, eyes narrowing.

  Jeremy shrugged. “Can’t, bossman. I’m on break.”

  “Your break is over. Either get in the party room or I’ll find something else for you to do.” Eggs then turned around at the crowd in front of him. “Well? All of you, back to work or we’ll start discussing replacements.”

  They quickly dispersed. Eggs rubbed his forehead with a sigh, feeling a headache coming. He jumped when cold fingers were suddenly on his skin, not surprised to see Springtrap standing over him. “Heya Spring.”

  “Can I still call you Alex?” The bunny whined softly.

  “Yeah, if you want.”

  He pulled away and made for the soda machine as Jeremy limped after him, Mark not far behind. They at least waited until he had gotten himself a drink before looking at him expectantly. He pretended not to notice, scanning the dispersing crowds for Mike.

  “Place looks weird during the day.” He mused.

  “At least it’s not an underground death bunker.” Jeremy shot.

  “So you wanna tell us where you’ve been? Because I’m pretty sure Mike’s sprouted some grey hairs in the past few days since these two limped in from a failed rescue mission.” Mark said.

  Eggs made a face. “Mike wouldn’t look good grey.”

  Mark deadpanned and glared at him. “Alex-!”

  Jeremy beat him to it, grabbing Eggs by the front of his shirt and glaring down at him. “You fucker! We’ve been fucking sitting around waiting to hear that you didn’t die or not! Mike assumed Afton got you and you were gone for good you asshole.”

  “And I said I was fine. I just couldn’t explain what was going on yet.” Eggs pulled his hands off of him. “Look, I’ve been trying to get things sorted okay? There’s a lot of shit to go through with taking over a company that’s been sweeping deaths and incidents under its rugs for nearly a century.”

  “But you’re okay, right?”

  Eggs wasn’t sure when Mike had crept up on him, but he had. The guard looked him over critically, like he was hiding bruises or something. He couldn’t fault him for that of course, but he had to keep up appearances. So he just rolled his eyes and sighed.

  “Yes, okay?? Anyway, I have to meet with some stockholders after this and then we’re visiting the new building we’re buying for the Funtime’s. I’ll come by later and we can finally talk about what’s…happened.”

  Jeremy stared at him, his good eye hard like he knew what Eggs had done. But Mike just nodded, patting his shoulder in a reassuring manner and Mark was suddenly swamped with other employees that were wanting their complaints submitted. Eggs watched it all for a moment, catching eyes with Fredbear.

  The large animatronic motioned off to the side. Towards the backroom where he’d met Jeremy so long ago. And Eggs went, confused but knowing it was important if Fredbear wanted him to sneak off. He went in easily, it was unlocked, and found himself face to face with a large, thin puppet that was floating off the ground.

  “…holy shit, the fuck are _you_??” He demanded, eyes wide.

  It cocked its head to the side. _“You’ve barely changed at all…”_

  Eggs frowned. “No offense there, uh…pal, but I think I’d remember if we’d met before.”

  It shook its head. _“I just wanted to see you…_

  “Me?” He glanced away towards the door but the large floating thing didn’t move. “Uh, well no offense but I’m kinda busy…I’ll be back later tonight though so…uh, later?”

  He left slowly, waiting for some kind of response or for the doll-like thing to stop him. But it didn’t. Confused, he shut the door behind him and looked around, wanting to see Fredbear and ask him what that had been. But Henry found him first.

  “We should get moving.”

  “Oh, okay…” He gave the backroom a final glance before trailing behind Henry.

  Weird, but at least not the oddest thing he’d dealt with, he mused as he forgot about the incident later.

Xxxxxx


	16. Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words can't describe what this means to me. Thank you everyone.

Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood, child abuse

  

Xxxxxx

  “Your father would be proud, you know.”

  Eggs glanced over at Henry as the two drove through town. The older man had been content to not say anything, keeping to himself, and he preferred it that way. Mostly to avoid this. He shifted uncomfortably as the man glanced at him and tried not to meet his eyes.

  “Back when we first started this…whole thing, Will had so many ideas. Family weekends, child playdates…orphanage discounts.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We couldn’t do it once we started getting so busy. Not just with two of us.”

  “Henry-” Eggs started, sighing but was cut off.

  “He was the only one that understood what losing Sammy and Charlotte meant to me. Was there every step of the way, didn’t mock my ideas of trying to bring them back…” Henry sighed. “What I mean is…we didn’t want things to turn out this way. And I’m glad you’re fixing it.”

  He scowled. “You’re glad I’m cleaning up your messes?”

  “If someone had to, well…yes. I’m glad it was you, Michael.”

  Eggs was relieved when they came to his house. He quickly left Henry behind, mumbling something about being at the meetings tomorrow before running inside and hiding in his new home. He paused when he noticed Shawn’s Fredbear sitting on the counter, definitely _not_ where he’d left him, and Plushtrap was peeking out from his pantry.

  “What are you doing??” He whined and grabbed the plush bunny. “You don’t even eat!”

  The plush cocked its head to the side. Eggs sighed and set him down, grabbing Fredbear and making his way to the living room. He sat down on his new couch, yawning as he turned the large new TV on. He channel searched for a bit until finding something mindless. Then he pulled out his phone and stared at it.

  “I gotta do it now, right? Now that they know?”

  Plushtrap stared at him. He grimaced.

  “I mean, there’s so much bullshit! How do I explain I kept all the trap doors and tunnels?? Or the elevator? Oh god, and then there’s the basement. I’m so fucked, Plush, there’s no way they’d want to stay.”

  It kept staring at him, but its eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Don’t give me that shit.” He kept rolling his phone in his hands. Finally, he sighed and nodded. “I have to do it though, don’t I?”

  Plushtrap made a clicking noise and laid itself back on the couch. Rolling his eyes, Eggs sighed and began slowly sending Mike a text. Several times he had to delete it and start anew, but he knew he couldn’t back out of this. This was important and he owed them an explanation.

  He didn’t know how much later it was when there was a knock on the door. Eggs answered it slowly, letting Mike, Jeremy and Mark inside. He rolled his eyes when Mark gasped and began looking things over in awe.

  “Wow, this place looks great.” Mike said.

  Eggs shrugged. “Overhauled the whole thing. Been getting used to my new room, and thankfully my old landlord wasn’t too pissed off when I told him I was leaving.”

  “What is this?” Mark pointed to a doorframe where there were cuts in it. “Are these height measurements?”

  “Yeah, uh, the tallest is Caleb’s.” He said, pausing when he noticed Mark wince. “Did…they not tell you? This is my house. From when I was little.”

  “We mentioned it, this fucking idiot just is a fucking idiot.” Jeremy answered dryly.

  “Which one is yours?” Mike asked.

  “This one, second tallest. Cindy was pretty short and Shawn always hunched over.” Eggs swallowed nervously. “Uh, anyway, you guys mentioned wanting to know what happened…so, uh, wanna sit down?”

  They all did so. Mike instantly picking up Plushtrap and holding it despite the irritated click and wiggling the small doll did in his arms. Jeremy glared at the thing, limping over on a new prosthetic and Mark quickly took the closest seat to the door. Eggs sighed.

  “Just tell me he’s not fucking here.” Jeremy started.

  Eggs stared at him in confusion before rolling his eyes. “No, he’s not, okay?”

  Mike and Jeremy both relaxed slightly. Eggs almost glared at them but didn’t. He should have known they’d be worried about such a thing.

  “Look, when…you guys left. I escaped like I wanted with Plushtrap.” Said doll clicked and Mike stroked its head endearingly. “Ballora and the others got to us and helped me find a computer so I could unlock the doors since Dad apparently locked me in.”

  “What the fuck…” Mark whispered in horror.

  “We found something but…” Eggs hesitated. “I couldn’t do it.”

  Mike reached out for his shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  Eggs shrugged out of his grip. “I just…I found him. Talked to him.”

  “And he let you come back? He really fucking left you behind?” Jeremy asked.

  “Yeah…I, I was surprised too. But I asked if I could just have some time to myself, with you guys. A-asked if I could get things…situated here. Fix the company, get those shock systems out…” Eggs trailed off, face pink when Mike preened in pride.

  “So…William Afton, the serial killer, is on the loose….” Mark pointed out slowly, looking horrified as the news processed into his brain. “And…we’re sitting in his house right now. With his son.”

  Eggs flinched at that as Mike glared at the younger man. “Is that a problem?”

  “Eggs, I mean…Alex, Michael, whatever the hell you’re going by now, you’re a good kid. And whoever you’re related to doesn’t change that. But if this is his house, full of his creepy dungeons, and you’re _living_ here, I just…How can you be sure he won’t sneak back in the middle of the night??” Mark said.

  Eggs felt his jaw twitch as he felt himself hardened in defensiveness. “Because I asked him not to.”

  “And you believe that’s enough?!”

  “Yes.”

  Jeremy sighed and rubbed his good eye. “Hold the fuck on-”

  “No, _you_ hold on.” Eggs snapped, standing up. “Let me explain this to you all. This might be hard for you to understand, but he’s my _Dad_. I love him. I know how horrible he is, I know what he’s done to me, and other kids, but that…that doesn’t change that he raised me.”

  “Until he dumped you off on someone else.” Jeremy hissed.

  “Someone even worse than what would’ve happened to me if I had been with him.” Eggs added hotly.

  Plushtrap clicked angrily and snapped its jaws at Jeremy in Mike’s lap. Mark jumped at the noise, staring between the two as Eggs tried to calm himself down. He didn’t want this to happen. He didn’t want to get angry and throw a fit, he just needed them to understand…

  “Eggs,” Mike started softly, getting his attention. “He’s a monster. He doesn’t just kill when provoked, he hunts down children and tortures them. Molests them. That’s not something we can ignore.”

  “….I know. A-and I wouldn’t…want you to.” He began fidgeting with his hands, unable to meet their eyes. “I just…I do love him still, despite it all. A-and that’s why I…I let him go. With Cindy.”

  There was silence as they all thought. Eggs watched them nervously. Jeremy sighed, looking resigned as he rubbed at his glass eye, making the technician wince. When their eyes met, the engineer offered a shrug and a half-assed smile. Eggs relaxed slightly.

  “…You let him run off with a little girl?!” Mike suddenly exploded, lunging to his feet. “With your sister?? Do you have any idea what he could do to her!?”

  Eggs looked at him in shock. “What does-”

  “He’s a goddamn pedophile and you hand over your little sister on a golden platter for him!”

  Mark looked queasy. “Mike, I don’t think…”

  “He would never touch Cindy.” Eggs said.

  “Just like he’d never touch you?” Mike argued, and instantly looked guilty.

  “HE DID WHAT?!” Mark piped up, looking shocked and green in the face.

  Jeremy sighed and face palmed slowly. “Okay, all of us need to fucking stop a moment.”

  Eggs thought that was likely a good idea, but his mouth opened anyway. “Fuck you, Mike, you keep bringing that up like it’s your goddamn wild card! It’s _my_ issue and I’m handling it! You can’t sit there on your high-horse, lording that you know over my head because you decide I’m not traumatized enough!”

  “I don’t want you letting him off so easily.” Mike said through gritted teeth, not noticing that Plushtrap had gotten away from him. “It was bad enough when he got away with what he did to Jeremy a few months ago, but now this as well??”

  Eggs heaved a sigh. “I forgave him.”

  “Then you’re an idiot!”

  “Y-you never mentioned that he…” Mark whispered off to the side, hands locked together under his chin as he stared off at the wall. “Fucking Christ, you guys.”

  “Mike, knock it the fuck off.” Jeremy cut in suddenly, pulling out a cigarette. He quickly lit it, ignoring Eggs’ annoyed look. “Look, McMuffin. I get it. Sorta. You let the shit go he did to you, and that’s your damn business. But we can’t exactly decide he’s off the hook for everything else he’s done.”

  “…I know.” Eggs whispered softly.

  Jeremy sighed and huffed on his cigarette. “So that’s why you’ve been taking your damn fucking time? We’ve been worrying over your ass this whole time you know.”

  Mark stood up, hesitating before he put a hand on Eggs’ shoulder. “I don’t think we can possibly understand how you feel, but…hey, we’re still your friends, Over Easy.”

  Eggs rolled his eyes at the nickname but deflated. He was oddly thankful. Even if he was annoyed that Mark touched him like he might go off on a panic attack at the slightly brushing of skin. He glanced at Mike and saw him glaring at the wall.

  “…Mike?” He asked softly, embarrassingly so.

  “I hate him, Alex. Like I’ve never hated anyone before in my life. It’s not just you, okay? When this whole thing started, I was dealing with the kids he killed, including your _brother_ , and I heard and saw the horrible ways he killed them. Did you know I was forced into a vision where he **gutted** me? I watched him kill them all and watched as I died, knowing these poor kids…”

  Jeremy shifted, apparently having known such information. But from the look on Mark’s face, he hadn’t. Not that Eggs was surprised. He had a feeling Mike would tell Jeremy anything, no matter how embarrassing or awful. For a moment he wondered what having such companionship was like.

  “He’s my Dad, Mike.” He whispered again.

  He hadn’t realized he was crying until Jeremy was pulling him into a tight hug. It felt weird. Jeremy was tall, but thin, and his hugs were awkward since Eggs had the feeling he wasn’t used to giving them or getting them. He smelt of machine grease and oil and the technician sobbed as he clung to the blond man harder.

  “Hey, it’s okay, kid. Let it out.” Jeremy whispered into his hair.

  “I’m _sorry_.” Eggs sobbed into his shoulder.

  “It’s okay. I told you before, I get it, didn’t I?” Jeremy kept his voice quiet. The others could probably hear him, but that’s not why he was struggling. “I knew your Dad when I first started working. Even if it was all an act, he looked after me. It…wasn’t perfect, he did things that I…but I can’t help but think he was genuine even after learning what a fucking shithead he was.”

  Eggs tightened his hold a moment. “To be fair, you’re not hard to like.”

  Jeremy paused, looking stunned, before he barked out a laugh. “Wow, that’s the nicest fucking thing anyone’s ever said about me. Hear that, Mike? Even better than when you called my eyes pretty.”

  “That’s **not** what I said.” Mike grumbled. The guard noticed him staring and sighed, biting his lip as he walked over. “Eggs…we’ll never agree on this, okay? If I ever see him again, I’m going to try and kill him.”

  “Fair enough…” Eggs muttered.

  “But I…well, no, I don’t get it, but…but I like you, okay? I think you’re a good kid that’s been through a lot of crap and still managed to come out as a good person. And you trying to fix his mistakes just shows that.”

  The black haired boy made a face. “That’s really mushy.”

  “…I just spilled my guts to you after you said Jeremy’s likeable and _I’m_ mushy??” Mike demanded, hands on his hips.

  “Sorry, I’m just too used to thinking you’re a nerd…” Eggs taunted but let it drop as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I mean…uh, probably not the time for that. Sorry.”

  Mark sighed, rolling his eyes. “You both are idiots. So, are things okay now??”

  “…Maybe.”

  Eggs shuffled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out three keys, face turning warm as he showed the three of them. Jeremy snatched one out of his hand, looking it over curiously, but Mike and Mark just looked at him in confusion.

  “So, uh…you don’t have take them now. Since, you know, we’re…dealing with stuff. But these…these are the house keys. I made you all copies to my new locks.”

  “Whoa, so the moving in thing is serious??” Mark asked.

  “Of course. That’s kinda why I remodeled the rooms.” Eggs grumbled, rolling his eyes.

  Jeremy snorted. “So this how how you ask us to move in and settle down with you? What’s next, getting on one knee?”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “A _likeable_ idiot.”

  “So, Eggs, this…is for real?” Mike asked him.

  “I just said that, didn’t I? But you…you guys don’t have to. I mean, like we’ve been arguing about, this…is the Afton household, and I do still have ties to my Dad that I’m not letting go of.” Eggs explained nervously.

  Jeremy paused at that. “You’re in contact with him?”

  “Once a month. Part of the reason I could stay.” He shrugged it off easily. “I get to see how Cindy’s doing too.”

  Mark made a face but didn’t comment. He was thankful for that. Now that things had calmed down, Eggs didn’t want them all getting riled up again. Mike stared at him a moment, sharing a glance with Jeremy before he reached out and took a key as well. Eggs felt like a weight was taken off of him he wasn’t even aware of in the first place.

  “No offense, Omelet, but…I think I might stay on my own.” Mark awkwardly muttered. “Nothing against you, I think this is a generous offer, but…I like having my own place. Don’t really feel like having three new roommates.”

  “Spoiled ass kid.” Jeremy grumbled.

  Eggs shrugged. “It’s fine. You’re welcome if you need a place to stay.”

  Mark grinned. “Man, you really live up to the namesake, huh? Pretends to be a hard ass and is really the sweetest, softest little guy.”

  “…Call me ‘little guy’ again and see what happens.”

  Mike snorted and pocketed the key. “When can we move in?”

Xxxxxxx

  Eggs wasn’t sure what he expected. It certainly wasn’t Jeremy and Mike moving in instantly that next day. He hadn’t thought he’d be standing there with a few movers, pointing out what went where, watching Jeremy limp around his house and getting used to the new floors, watching Mike instantly claim a spot on his couch.

  He never thought he’d be sitting there between them as they argued over what to do for dinner, since Mike apparently had an addiction to Fazbear Pizza that Jeremy was thoroughly sick of. Or watching TV with them as they all ate Chinese together. He found out quickly that Jeremy couldn’t keep quiet watching anything and that Mike’s bleeding heart went further than just being a big baby, he cried quite easily in sympathy. _Especially_ at Disney movies, but Jeremy’s look said there was more to it.

  As Eggs decided to head to bed first, he had meetings in the morning with Henry to oversee, he paused. His hand on the doorknob, he turned back. Mike was drinking coffee, getting ready to go to his guard job, and Jeremy had fallen asleep on the couch. He almost smiled. He had stopped himself from hoping this could happen, not believing the two would forgive him.

  “Eggs.” Mike suddenly spoke up, eyes soft as he smiled over his mug. “Have a good day at work tomorrow, okay?”

  He froze, confused, before realizing he’d stopped mid-step and likely looked like a moron. He flushed. “S-shut up.”

  He heard the guard laugh as he went into his room. Rolling his eyes, Eggs sighed and went to bed.

  It was a week later that there was a knock on the door. Eggs looked up from catching up on his show, Jeremy was mumbling next to him about soap opera’s being a waste of time, and he reluctantly answered the door. It was quite the surprise when a police officer was waiting for him at the doorway.

  “Michael Afton?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “That’s me.”

  The officer, a tall man with kind eyes, hummed and pulled out a small notepad. “Where were you on the seventh?”

  Eggs frowned, trying to remember what day that was. “Was that a Tuesday? I was with my coworker Henry. We’re getting a new restaurant ready. And then after that, I came home here with my roommates.”

  “And they can verify that?” He asked.

  “Yeah. Jeremy’s inside right now, and I can give you Henry’s number. Right now, he’s either at home or the office still.” Eggs shrugged. “Can I ask why?”

  The officer eyed him a moment. “Tuesday morning, a neighbor reported a smell coming from your adoptive parent’s home. They were found mauled in their living room.”

  Eggs froze. He stared at the man in shock, not even realizing Jeremy had limped over. “…What?”

  “It looked like they were attacked by a bear, if the bear had a knife.” The office mumbled dryly. “We’ve only learned recently that you were a runaway, they never reported you missing, and we were quick to track you down. You’d have the most obvious motive. Word around the neighborhood is that they weren’t the…most kind of people.”

  “Oh no, they only fucking kept him locked up in the attic while everyone else did fucking nothing.” Jeremy spat angrily.

  “Jeremy.” Eggs warned, glaring at him.

  “Good fucking riddance. And we all have alibi’s, okay? They aren’t worth the goddamn trouble of finding or killing.”

  “Jeremy, knock it off.” Eggs elbowed him aside, sighing. “It’s true that we all have people that’ve seen where we were that day. And the day before. I’ve forgotten about their crap a long time ago.”

  The officer stared between them both a moment before nodding and writing down in his notepad. “I’ll be talking to your coworker then. And your other roommate, where is he?”

  “Mike? Uh, sleeping. He works the night shift.” Eggs answered. “I can get him, but I’d ask that you don’t take up too much of his time. I’m his boss, and I need him awake since he guards one of my buildings.”

  “Boss?” The man raised an eyebrow at that. “Isn’t it a conflict of interest to live with and have a relationship with your employees?”

  “We ain’t fucking.” Jeremy said.

  “Also, that’s my business.” Eggs added.

  The officer shrugged. “Well, I’ll go talk with this Henry first, and I may end up stopping by later to talk with this Mike. Honestly, I’d say your off the hook. Whoever did this had some…rage to it, and no offense Mr. Afton but your…stature makes it hard to believe you’d be able to take down two full grown adults.”

  Eggs glared at him, face red as Jeremy snickered. “Thanks I guess.”

  He tipped his hat. “Have a good day then, Mr. Afton.”

  Eggs watched him leave. When he opened his police car’s door, he finally went inside. Jeremy was standing there. As soon as Eggs was able to pay attention, he found himself on the floor against the front door with the Engineer kneeling in front of him.

  “I begged him not to…” He whispered.

  Jeremy frowned. “He’s a fucking serial killer, McMuffin. You really thought he’d let those people get away with what they did to you?”

  “I _asked_ though! I told him it wasn’t worth it, they weren’t worth the effort! H-how did he even find them…?”

  “Well he’s a rich asshole, so…you know. Probably wasn’t hard for him.” The blond man answered easily.

  He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. “Why…am I even upset? I hated them. They were so much worse than anything Dad could’ve done to me…”

  He jumped when Jeremy stood up and offered him a hand that he quickly took. Despite the prosthetic, the other was able to pull him to his feet. Still holding his hand, Jeremy dragged him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table as the engineer began pulling out some teabags.

  “I fucking hate my parents.” Jeremy said suddenly, making Eggs stare in confusion. “Both are military and really strict with me growing up. Thought they were going to make me some kind of military mechanic since I wouldn’t stop taking shit apart, but I ran off at sixteen. Got a job at Freddy’s and then ruined my life.”

  He winced. Jeremy paused in making tea, a hand going to under his bangs were his scars were hidden. A second later though, he stopped and continued getting tea going until he had a hot mug sitting in front of Eggs that the black haired boy quickly grabbed, mumbling a thanks.

  “I hate them, and I think I’d still feel…something if they died on me.” Jeremy went on, shrugging.

  “But those are you _parents_. These are just…” Eggs tried but the blond snorted.

  “They were shitty, fucked up people but they fed you. Course you feel bad. We’ve established you’re a good kid and shit.”

  Eggs frowned. That seemed like a weak reason for him to be upset, but he didn’t have anything better. So he just sighed and nodded. Jeremy messed with his hair and left him alone, and Eggs was still sitting there, sipping his cold tea, when Mike came in dressed for work.

  “Jeremy told me what happened…are you okay?”

  “Sure.” He mumbled.

  Mike frowned and sat across from him. “You should yell at him when you talk to him again.”

  That made him laugh. “Right, I’ll quick scold my father for killing my abusive adoptive parents. That’ll show him.”

  “Alex, he went against your wishes. If he pushes his luck like this, what stops him from coming here and taking you back?” Mike asked.

  That made him pause. Mike had a good point. And he had promised himself he’d be stern with his Dad when he needed, to show that he was being serious. So he nodded and sat back, giving the guard a tired smile.

  “You’re right…Thanks. They’ll be coming to talk to you to make sure my alibi is solid.”

  “Nothing to worry about since we’re telling the truth.” Mike said.

  Eggs nodded. He waved as Mike left for work, listening for his car to leave. Once he was gone, and after he checked to see that Jeremy had gone to bed (in his actual _bed_ this time, he always fell asleep on the couch), Eggs went into his room and beelined for his bathroom. He kicked open the secret hatch and stomped down through the basement until he heard a familiar song.

  “Ballora?”

  The ballerina turned towards him, as did Foxy and Freddy. “Eggs, what are you doing here so late?”

  “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Freddy added helpfully.

  Eggs put his hands on his hips and gave them all a look. “Who gave my Dad the last name of my adoptive parents?”

  Ballora and Foxy had good poker faces. Freddy and Bonbon, however, did not. “Whatcha mean, Eggs?”

  “Yeah, we would _never_ …” Bonbon added, pointedly looking away.

  “Guys. He killed them. I got a visit from the police today.” He went on, walking closer as he glared at them. “And in case you’re wondering, no, it’s NOT a good idea to have police snooping around the house when I have a secret entrance to your stages.”

  Ballora hummed. “How tragic that they’ve died. How will we ever overcome our loss?”

  “I think I might need the day off, I’m so heartbroken.” Foxy agreed smugly.

  Eggs rolled his eyes and sighed. “You guys are such assholes. How did you even get that information to him??”

  “Well, hypothetically of course,” Freddy said. “We would have just needed to get in contact with Ennard.”

  Of course. He’d almost forgotten about Ennard. He heaved another sigh and shook his head. “Tell him I want to talk to him then. Now.”

  That made them all pause. Ballora tilted her head curiously. “Now? But Eggs…”

  “Now.”

  Foxy walked with him to the small, hidden office in her auditorium. When Eggs went to unlock the door, he stopped him briefly. “You’re…really mad?”

  “If I forgave him for what he did to me, then obviously I forgave them. He had no right to do this. Now I’m being watched by the authorities, it’s going to affect Mike and Jeremy, and he promised me he wouldn’t do this.” Eggs hissed.

  “….We’re sorry then, Eggs. Sometimes we forget humans view death differently than we do…” the fox mumbled.

  The technician paused then. Finally he huffed and stroked the robot’s snout, making Foxy perk up slightly, and then headed into the office. He turned the monitor on and was pleased that William was staring back at him instantly as he sat down.

  “Ya can’t even prove it was me, ya know.”

  “Don’t be like that. Like there’s any doubt.” Eggs grumbled.

  William rolled his eyes. “Alex, honestly, wasn’t even my idea. That thing in me brought it up, got their names, and well…who am I to deny anyone a good chance at revenge? Especially when we both felt so good about hurtin’ someone that hurt you.”

  “You promised me-!” Eggs argued hotly but was interrupted.

  “No, I just let it go. I never said nothin’ about promising shit.”

  Eggs glared and slammed his hands on the desk. “Dad!”

  “No, this time, _you_ listen.” William cut him off again, eyes glowing harshly even in the dim light of the monitor. “I promised ya a lot of things, Alex, and I’ll be doin’ my fucking best to keep those promises. But those pieces of shit hurt you, and I’ll always be putting those fuckers down if they think they can get away with hurting you.”

  He was breathing hard, biting down on his lip. “I didn’t want them dead, I wanted to forget they existed…”

  William took a deep breath and the glow in his eyes dimmed. “Kiddo, ya too soft. I told ya that before. But as much as I want to keep in line, keep my nose clean because I promised you I would, I will _always_ hunt down anyone that hurts you. That’s how it is, Alex.”

  He remembered Mike and Jeremy warning him about this. He bit his lip harder, hands gripping his pants. That leash he had imagined before had been cut; he couldn’t keep it when he’d let William go off on his own like this. He had no way to rope him in.

  “You had nothin’ to do with it, and so ya have nothin’ to worry about. Schmidt and Newbie have your backs, and Henry would cover for ya even if you weren’t with him that day.” William went on, a crooked, large grin spreading across his face. “I’d never put you in any danger.”

  “If you know me so well, then you’d know I’ll always blame myself for this.” Eggs whispered.

  William snorted. “It’ll pass. Guilt always does.”

  The monitor went black. He’d hung up on him. Eggs sneered and slammed his hands down on the keyboard, ignoring the stinging pain it brought him as keys went flying. Panting hard, he then snarled and threw the keyboard against the wall as it shattered.

  “Fuck…”

  “Eggs?”

  Bonbon looked down at him from the middle vent above his head. She frowned at his tears, hopping down on the desk. With shaking hands, he picked her up.

  “We’re sorry, Eggs…” She said sadly.

  “No, it’s…okay.” He patted her ears as he headed for the door. “I don’t know what I could’ve expected from him…h-how about we all go over to Ballora’s and play some games together, hm?”

  Bonbon nodded eagerly. He carried her out, where the other large animatronics were waiting for them. Freddy and Foxy began arguing over what to play as Ballora stayed nearby, hovering close. And even though he knew he shouldn’t stay up late, he had so many things to take care of in the morning, he did so with them just like it was back to normal. Like how it used to be.

  And as much as he hated it, his Dad was right. The guilt passed after the third round of hide and seek.

Xxxxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter to Dusk. I wasn't sure how to end it, but well...as much as I hate it personally, I don't think Eggs would get a truly "happy" ending. He's gotta face the consequences for his actions and he is. But maybe someday, things can calm down for him. Especially now that he has Mike and Jeremy around, hm? :)
> 
> Maybe if Scott makes FNAF6, you'll see me again.


	17. Epilogue

   **"Are you sure you don't want him to know it's you? You've finally reunited after all these years."**

  Fredbear stared at the Puppet as it floated near its music box. It slowly shook its head.  _"Seeing him again means so much to me...Alex always tried so hard to look after me and Cindy. It's best he thinks I died and passed on. Knowing I was here, like this...what good would it do?"_

   **"It would give him closure. Would give YOU closure."**

   _"Maybe. But I think...I think I have something else planned. Daddy left me alone because he somehow knew Cindy needed him. And now I'm stuck here again...I lost my chance at an Afterlife. Perhaps I'm meant to join them?"_

  The golden animatronic hummed, glancing over at where his partner was standing. Springtrap shrugged at his look.

  "I think he's earned another chance, don't you?"

   **"We wouldn't put it against you, Shawn."**

  The Puppet nodded. It then traced its soft claws against the music box and sighed despite having no lungs to breathe.  _"Thank you both. If the others find out, please...tell Mike I'm sorry."_

  It eased into the shadows of the backroom and disappeared. Springtrap grunted, glancing at the other. Fredbear shook his head sadly.

  "He doesn't deserve to have his family back." Springtrap spat angrily.

   **"He doesn't. But Shawn, Cindy and Alex do."**

  Unable to argue that, the bunny huffed. "I just don't want him to hurt them again..."

  Fredbear patted his shoulder.  **"All we can do is watch them closely. At least Alex has Michael and Jeremy now to look after him. If there are any humans I trust to do so, it's them."**

  The bear left the backroom. Springtrap waited a moment, fingertips lightly tracing where he'd once had holes in his chest. He was fixed now, but an ache remained where he'd been broken. And he knew there were still pieces of bone and flesh inside of him that couldn't be removed.

  His eyes narrowed but he just sighed and followed behind Fredbear to go out and look after the children.

Xxxxxx

  "I think I might be a bad person." Eggs mused as he sat on the stage, kicking his legs.

  "Why do you say that?" Ballora asked him.

  She stood poised behind him. In front of the stage was an empty room; he knew the movers were coming in tomorrow to fill it with tables to properly turn this all into a restaurant. In the other room, Jeremy was working over Foxy and Freddy to make sure they were in tiptop shape for their first performance.

  "I'm living with Mike and Jeremy...but staying in contact with my Dad. I'm not even...all that mad about what he did now. That's fucked up, right?"

  Ballora hummed, tilting her head. "Most likely. I will forever be upset with Mr. Afton and his treatment of myself and the others...and I will have a burning hatred of him from the thousands of voices that scream inside of myself that no longer exist. But now, all the four of us care about is looking after you."

  Eggs paused his kicking, looking surprised. "Me? Why?"

  "Because you have cared for us. Even in the off chance Ennard contacts us, checking in, he wants to know you care looked after and healthy." Ballora answered easily.

  "...What if I decided I hated him and wanted him dead?" He asked slowly.

  "Then we would help in whatever way you'd need us to."

  Eggs nodded. "I get the feeling that's how it'll end. I'll have to kill him myself...because he's only going to get worse, right? He'll never stop. I guess I just want to enjoy having him around for a little while..."

  Ballora gracefully walked closer, balancing on the edge next to him. "It's incredibly mature of you to see such things, Michael."

  He managed a soft smile, reaching out and taking her cold, plastic hand into his own. "Thanks, Michella."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Flaw In The Code](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10532037) by [LadyKiri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKiri/pseuds/LadyKiri)




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